The Princess and the Private
by bringonthespam
Summary: Slightly AU. Shining Armor is a new recruit in the Canterlot Royal Guard, per his father's wishes. His caring, harmonious nature, not really befitting a guard, attracts the attention of Princess Cadence, despite his low rank and social status. The two of them together prove that love doesn't come from wealth or station in life, but from a deeper connection and passion.
1. Chapter 1

A/N - THIS is how I would have rather been introduced to Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, and how they developed the "power of love" that was able to vanquish Queen Chrysalis. This takes place around maybe a year or two before Twilight leaves Canterlot for Ponyville. I would definitely call this alternate universe, but it isn't way too different, just Shining Armor is a private instead of a captain, and some other things explained later.

* * *

The Royal Guard Academy of Canterlot; never before has ponykind witnessed so much raw, musky stallion (and the occasional mare) in one place. Only the finest, most ferocious, and physically fit are allowed to even so much as step hoof into its masculine halls. Within, a symphony of battle-cries, grunts, and muffled shouts of pain ring across the corridors, and reverberate throughout every training, weight, and combat simulation room.

The sources of these noises, former and aspiring warriors of all ages and races, earth, pegasus, and unicorn pony, fought against and along side their comrades in what were supposed to be pretend battles, though many would say that "pretend" was not a strong enough descriptor for the aches and bruises they would receive from them. This was a school of hard knocks, and that does not only apply to its traditionalism. It was a school for the physically intelligent, ruthlessly unforgiving, and those who wished to vanquish the enemies of the state.

Private Shining Armor...however...was none of these.

Sure, he had graduated from the academy, and passed the bare minimum of his requirements with all of the grace and finesse of a beached whale, but the young lad had never been the iconic figure of a Canterlot guard or soldier. Shining Armor was very permissive, even submissive, to the rest of the trainees, which ended up making him stick out like a dragon's sore claw. He didn't see many reasons to be angry, or aggressive, or to pick fights all of the time, contrary to the hobbies of many a roommate he would have in his quarters, much to his distaste.

The white unicorn was a stallion who loved nature more than the battlefield. While his very few buddies went out drinking, flirting, and asserting their superiority over each other in hoof-wrestles and pain games, Armor would take relaxing strolls through the forests close to his barracks. On these little excursions, he would revel in the light scents of seasonal flowers, made even better after a small rain shower, and try to gingerly coax a rabbit, squirrel, or other tiny woodland creature out of hiding so that he might be able to pet it. Given his naturally quiet, subdued demeanor, many such animals allowed him the pleasure of rubbing his hoof softly on their heads and backs until they would be distracted by a potential predator or meal.

Shining Armor was an introvert, which encouraged his work in such personal interests as writing and art. Though, being the non-conformist of his barracks made these passions difficult to cultivate. Not a day would go by that he wouldn't hear from his roommates or their friends that they had "accidentally" completely destroyed paintings, sculptures, and manuscripts full of prose and poetry alike, all his own creations. How many hours, days, months even, had he poured his heart and soul into them, only to be scrap heaps by the time they were finished? Then again, every time it would happen, Shining Armor wouldn't scream, he wouldn't beat them up, he wouldn't show much of any emotion, opting, instead, to not confront the perpetrators. Many tears were shed for them, but that was in private. More harassment would ensue should anyone find him in that position.

For someone as sensitive, humble, and peace-loving as Private Armor, one might be wondering why in the world he would join a brotherhood of the toughest bunch of roughnecks anypony could ever know. Sometimes, he wondered the exact same thing. From his own point of view, he supposed that if he could ever find a locale to have a steady job in, the great outdoors was the best it could ever get. As a soldier in the Royal Guard, his office was expansive, boundless, and picturesque.

His parents may have had some hoof in this as well, as his dad was a retired soldier in his youth, and thought it would be a marvelous opportunity for Armor to learn some discipline, something he had been substantially lacking at home, apparently. Of course, his dad was a desk jockey for most of that tour of duty, but nevertheless was quite loyal to the sacred brotherhood that had shaped his formative years.

Although Armor and his father clashed on many fronts, a warrior and poet would have a multitude of topics to disagree on, his mother and his dear little sister, Twilight, couldn't stand to see him leave the roost only to be endangered by the intense training involved in the academy, of which he would be staying at the barracks for the remainder of his service. War was a far-off possibility, but the threat was there, looming over the heads of his loved ones he left behind. As a member of the guard, he could be called at any time to sacrifice himself for the good of Equestria.

Twilight was the most affected of all. It clenched Shining Armor's heart, all throughout his training, to hear that Twilight was having horrible nightmares because of his absence. Once he was out, he would have to give her the biggest hug a brother could give, and let her know that everything was alright.

In fact, he was just getting ready to do that right now as he awoke one morning to the rising sun in the east, a far-off rooster crowing in the distance. He was all smiles and bounce as he remembered that today he would be heading home to show his little sister that he was still all in one piece, and to rub in his dad's face that he COULD and DID make it through the rigorous tests, despite his track record of failed jobs and college dropout status.

He looked up to find his bunk-buddy, another one of those "rough and tumble" characters, snoring loudly in his sleep, a black-eye adorning his pale-yellow, unicorn face. Must've gotten into a fight at the bar last night, which would make him pretty normal around these parts.

Shining Armor was too giddy about today to dwell on him for long, smiling to him even though he was asleep. Cantering slowly into their shared restroom, Armor made with the daily grooming regimen that the academy had literally beaten into his head countless times before. He didn't particularly enjoy it, much preferring to go scraggly every once in a while, but this was a special day too, so he didn't have any room in his heightened mood to fuss.

After a brisk cleansing, though only up to sub-par standards compared to what the Guard would demand, he walked over to his barracks room door, opening it and stepping out into the cool, misty morning air. He sucked a great, big breath through his nose and sighed it out appreciatively. With the foggy, red and orange-tinted daylight peeking through the horizon, Armor threw his hooves out and bellowed ecstatically.

"GOOD MORNING, OH BEAUTEOUS WORLD!"

Unfortunately for Armor, it seemed as if others in the barracks might have disagreed...

"HEY, ARMOR, KEEP IT DOWN OUT THERE! SOME PONIES ARE TRYING TO CATCH SOME SHUT EYE!"

* * *

In the Canterlot Palace throne room, countless numbers of stallions sat to either side of the red carpet placed on the central walkway toward the thrones, where Princess Celestia awaited an impending event with calm, regal patience. Many of these stallions socialized with one another, whether to ease their tension or exchange business cards. Some wrung their hooves together in nervous anticipation and apprehension. Some looked collected and cool, as if not really giving a care about whatever was going to happen soon. This event looked to be the entire reason for their being there today, based on the row by row seating arrangement they were situated in.

From one side of the room, a unicorn mare stepped in front of the princess, most likely to give some kind of announcement. The light, lime green of her coat clashed only slightly with the steel blue of her mane and tail, almost seeming like a blue-streaked white, styled youthfully, cascading down but slightly bouncy. Her eyes were a soft gray, complimenting the metallic sheen of her mane. As she cleared her throat to get their attention, they turned to stare at her. It embarrassed her a little, all of the males' eyes fixed on her, some seeming to scan her body unabashed at their own behavior, which was troubling to say the least. However, she hovered the parchment with her lines in front of her, and did what she came for.

"Stallions of Equestria, her majesty, Princess Celestia, and all of us here in the palace thank all of you for coming. We are pleased to announce that Her Highness' niece, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, has requested your presences in order to find a potential suitor for marriage."

A small uproar went through the crowd as the excitement was too much to contain. A princess of Equestria was asking for the hoof in marriage of one lucky stallion? This was only too good to be true for some of them.

"Please...gentlecolts," the green unicorn shouted calmly to try to quell the vocal momentum. She was able to quiet them down after a minute, and continued with the speech, "Our princess will meet with each one of you, face to face, for individual dates, where you will all be given equal opportunity to prove your suitability as her husband, which she will decide upon at a later interval. There will be a few ground rules to follow on these dates that we will inform you of soon, but without further ado, I am pleased to present to you - Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!"

As if on cue, a hollow creak came from the double doors behind the seated bachelors. They all turned their bodies and heads to get a better view of what was going on, and whoever had opened the door. A dignified, poised female figure sauntered purposefully along the red carpet toward the green mare. The crowd of stallions were struck silent as they gazed in awe at the gorgeous, pink young mare, her triple-toned mane and tail swaying gently with her hoof-steps. Her violet eyes were set dead ahead of her, not wanting to break the regal posture Celestia had suggested she take for this announcement. The insistent sensation of holes burning through her body at the stares of the gentlecolts overtook her, but she didn't dare look one way or another. No emotion could be discerned from her face, as she wanted to give off more of an official, royal vibe, instead of her actual self, who would've fainted at the prospect of so many handsome colts vying for her affection.

In contrast to the beauty before them, some of the males could be heard giving off soft whistles, while some could barely dampen their appreciative hums at the sleek figure of the princess. Physically, they certainly agreed that she deserved the title.

Once she had come to the other unicorn mare's side, she turned around and, for the first time, regarded them all with a cordial smile while bashfully waving a hoof to them. In her naturally sweet voice, she spoke with kind professionalism.

"Hello everypony, it is so nice to see all of you today. As my assistant here has stated, I am in search of a special stallion whom I can share a loving bond with, and eventually think about making my husband. Today, I would like to take some time getting to know each of you a little bit, so that I can make a more concrete decision on which of you will be considered for the next stage, and which of you I will have to regretfully turn down. One on one, I would be happy to answer any personal questions you might have for me, as long as they are in good taste. Otherwise, feel free to mingle for a little while here in the throne room. We have refreshments set up to the sides of your seating arrangements, and I encourage you to get to know one another just as much as you might want to get to know me."

In a perfect world, that last statement may have worked out better, but as it was, the seated stallions practically jumped from their seats to speak to the lovely princess after she was finished. The lime-green unicorn from before attempted to calm the rowdy bunch yet again along side the alicorn, but this would turn out to be a much more frantic little soiree than anypony would have predicted. Princess Cadence was, indubitably, quite the catch, and it showed in the mannerisms of every male piling on top of each other to be first in line.

* * *

Princess Cadence all but slammed the massive double doors behind her, desperate to get away from the stallions that had constantly bombarded her with questions, comments, and compliments from the first agonizing minute, all the way to the indeterminate amount of time that had lapsed since.

She blew a stray, almost ratty, puff of her mane out of her face frustratedly that had become worse for wear in the stuffy, sweaty environment. She stood there, barring the doors with her body for a second, just in case an over-zealous admirer wanted to break through. She was definitely not up to anymore conversation or flirting, of which was usually one-sided, directed at her, at this point.

Sensing no further danger from the gaggle on the other side, Cadence stomped briskly toward her aunt Celestia, who was seated at a small, round table, enjoying some of the refreshments that had been served in the throne room. Celestia looked up from her snack, humorously noting that Cadence did not look one bit pleased.

"Geez, Aunt Celestia, you sure can pick'em!" Cadence was fuming and gritting her teeth lightly to show her aunt her displeasure with the entire turn-out.

Although Celestia tried to show her genuine concern for the blunder that had ensued at Cadence's expense, she couldn't help but grin at her niece's little snarl, "Why, my dear Cadence, I'm not sure what you are referring to! I only brought the richest, most handsome, and most powerful stallions to be your husband. Nothing's too good for my cute, little niece."

"I'm trying to be serious here, Auntie!" Cadence stamped a hoof to reiterate her mood, "Those stallions were nothing but thieves, hot-heads, and pigs! One of them even rubbed up against my flank!"

"Oh, one of them was feeling frisky, was he?" Celestia chuckled, "If only I had been there to see it..."

"Aunt Celestia!"

"Now now, Cadence," the white mare became a tiny bit more serious, "they were all personally hoof-picked based on the criteria you gave me. I can't be held responsible for their actions or...personal hobbies when I was simply doing what you had asked of me."

Realizing her possible mistake, Cadance huffed slightly in defeat, softening her glare just a tad, though she was no less angry. "I guess...money, brawn, and prestige just aren't the things I'm looking for, well, not the ONLY ones at least."

She shifted a little closer to her aunt who had partially resumed her midday snack, "I want to marry a stallion who is caring, generous, somepony who loves things like art and poetry. You know, I talked to each and every one of those colts in there," she demonstrated with her hoof to the doors, "and not one of them could recognize any classic poems I recited, even a little bit!"

"Well to be fair to them," Celestia tried to speak through eating, something she would only do in front of family...and maybe not even then most of the time, "they didn't make their millions, billions of bits becoming poets and pondering the wonders of the universe. They worked hard through various trade and business schools, climbed company ladders, and proved to the world that their products and services are worth investing in. If emotional sensitivity was something you were looking for, most of those stallions out there are not it, as it really didn't fit with their career descriptions."

The pink alicorn pondered that for a moment, her anger simmering into disappointment, "I guess business-ponies aren't really my type, though being a princess, I'm assuming the public expects me to marry into money, fame, and not much else..."

Celestia gave her a wry smile, understanding Cadence's disdain for being in the public eye all of the time, "...It would appear that way, unfortunately, Cadence. If it were completely up to me, I would allow you to date and marry whomever caught your fancy. In this case, I cannot promise that there wouldn't be ill consequences should you not be wedded to a stallion of noble or wealthy birth."

As much as Cadence wanted to hotly object to such nonsense, she could certainly see it all now. 'Princess Mi Amore Cadenza marries local wino! Her only reasons being that he makes great trash sculptures and philosophically mulls over "the meaning of life"!' The very thought made her plop down into a nearby chair and put her head in her hooves with exasperation. Why was it that the mentally stimulating were also such...commoners? Could she ever find what she was looking for in somepony who was strong, yet kind, noble, yet charitable, a stallion of action, yet a sensitive thinker? The more she dwelt on it, the more impossible such prospects became to her. She did not mind having high standards, but so few ponies actually fit that elusive bill.

"Aunt Celestia?" Cadence didn't bother raising her head, still in her forelegs.

"What is it, dear?" the princess sipped her tea quietly.

"...Is there any, ANY possibility that I could find somepony else that would fit the description I just gave you?..."

Celestia set her teacup down lightly, thinking about the multitude of requirements Cadence had set forth for her future husband. It was not an easy task bringing the bunch that were still probably wandering the throne room or going home now, as they had more or less been the most fitting for her niece in all of Equestria. Why did the young mare have to have such strenuous prerequisites?

There was ONE more candidate that Celestia had neglected to bring, mostly because the lad's own father had been uneasy about marrying him off so soon. They weren't of a noble family, though their service to the crown had been exemplary, and his father had been under-confident in his son's ability to be the perfect husband he felt Cadence deserved. However, it seemed that it was the right time to pull out the big cannons, since she was running out of options. She would try to make it up to his father later.

"...There is one other I did not wish to mention before, but feel I should now. You do remember my second-in-command, Captain Broadlance, do you not Cadence?"

Cadence vaguely remembered the old Captain of the Guard. He was always pretty stuffy, and was a pony of very traditional convictions.

"Somewhat...why?"

"Well, I was thinking that his son, Sterling Spear, would be a fine candidate. He's strong, brave, and from what I hear was afforded a classical education, in which he received honorable mention for his class projects. Furthermore, he's a fetching young colt. He may not be nobility, but with the efforts and loyalty of his family, he may as well be."

"Hmmm..." the pink mare put her hoof on her chin in thought, "...I suppose I could give him a shot. Can't be any worse than these suitors were."

"That's the spirit," Celestia giggled at Cadence's lack of optimism, "I think you'll really like him. I have met him face to face before, and although he can be a little...intimidating sometimes, I'm sure he'll be more than grateful for the chance to win your affections."

"That sounds just fine then," Cadence was still skeptical, but didn't question her aunt's wisdom too much, as desperate times often call for desperate measures, "would we be able to meet with him right away?"

Celestia was only more than happy to oblige, "I do not see why we couldn't meet him down near the training grounds right now, where he usually is at this time of the day, from what I hear."

She rose from her seated position, motioning with a hoof for the other alicorn to follow close by, "Come, I think you will be delightfully surprised!"

Cadence also jumped out of her own seat to walk by Celestia's side. They started to make their way outside, the white mare holding the door for her niece. Although she was eager at the thought of finally finding "the one", she was mildly suspicious, and she still had to keep telling herself, 'What's the worst that could possibly happen?'

* * *

A coat the color of desert sand housed powerful muscles propelling a pegasus stallion through his hoof-race with a blueberry-hued earth pony.

"Is that the best that you've got, Sea Breeze?" the pegasus taunted his opponent. He was neck in neck with the other stallion, but everypony watching the race knew that the pegasus was holding back a lot. The earth pony, however, was sprinting with everything that he had to come out victorious against his senior by one year.

Huffing and sputtering, the earth pony bit back at the cocky colt, "Shut up, Sterling Spear! I haven't even begun to race yet!"

Despite the big talk, Sea Breeze was sure that he would have a heart attack if he tried to pick up the pace any faster. Sterling Spear's emerald eyes glistened with confidence as he smirked, gently increasing his own speed to draw out the inevitable humiliation of his fellow soldier.

"Whatever you say, Breeze!"

Suddenly, Sterling jetted forward into a dead sprint. The difference in speed between the two was staggering as they both tore through the circular track. Sterling enjoyed the light wind whipping through his long ebony mane and tail as he zoomed past a crowd of onlookers, cheering one or the other on.

He spotted a few of the adoring female groupies he had accumulated over time. Being the captain's son and one of the strongest, most handsome stallions in the guard ranks could do that for you. They were swooning as he gave them a mischievous wink, unfurling his wings to full mast while he ran, strutting like a male peacock. He was one of those ponies who aggressively asserted his dominance and alpha status unashamed.

"He's SOOOO dreamy!" a light purple unicorn mare with a brown mane and tail bellowed like a little filly worshiping a pop idol, promptly fainting into the forelegs of another pegasus mare in full armor, no doubt a royal guard. She chortled at the antics of her obsessive friend, casually musing to herself.

"He's definitely not bad to look at, I'll give you that much."

Sterling crossed the nearby finish line much sooner than the blue earth pony had. Nopony really doubted it would turn out this way. The pegasus took great joy in trouncing his friends, enemies, and anypony else dumb enough to challenge him to anything. Even with his typically intense and earnest demeanor, facing contests he deemed worthy of his skill head on with solid determination, he afforded himself these little moments of glory where he got his kicks destroying opponents weaker than him.

Sea Breeze came up, sweating, panting, and angrily embarrassed, just as Sterling liked to see in his defeated rivals' eyes. He glared smugly at the stallion, who looked ready to demand a rematch.

"I could'a beaten you if I had done some extra reps in the gym today, Sterling!"

Sterling muttered darkly to himself, "Just keep telling yourself that, lard-flank..."

"Yeah, sure Sea Breeze, you were this close," Sterling put his front hooves almost together sarcastically, "...to passing out, that is."

If there were two things Sterling was to most ponies, they would have to be a physical and intellectual bully.

Sea Breeze, not being one to let his pride take quips like that lying down, continued to boast, "I was just...letting you win! Yeah, that's it! Didn't want to make you look like a pansy in front of your cheering squad!"

The hairs on the back of Sterling's neck bristled at his audacious claim. With a threatening growl he addressed Breeze so that nopony else could hear him, "You want me to toast you again in front of all of your little friends, Breeze? Bring it on, I'm waiting!"

Sea Breeze wasn't one to let a good fight go to waste, but the hard gaze Sterling gave made him think otherwise. Once his temper started to boil over, all of the guards, both recruit and veteran alike, knew not to mess with the captain's son. He cringed away only a little, trying not to look pathetic under the assault.

Luckily, one of Sterling's said groupies, the one who almost fainted, came over and starting gushing and cooing to her beautiful knight.

"Wow, you were incredible out there, Sterling Spear, not that I ever thought you wouldn't win!"

Sterling eased up a fraction on his racing victim, but he still had that warning stare about him, telling the earth pony not to mess with the pegasus. Although her friend had advised her not to do so, the light purple mare ended up grabbing onto his neck forcefully in a tight embrace. Sterling visibly tensed as she snuggled her face into his soft fur and rock-hard shoulder.

"PLEASE MARRY ME!"

The female guard pony on the sidelines face-hoofed at her friend's bold display that would probably force the stallion to sign a restraining order against her.

Sterling said not a word to the mare, still fuming at his opponent for sassing him. He shrugged her advances off like a wet towel, turning and storming off toward a rest area close to the training fields. Now, you might think that this kind of behavior would thwart most fillies, but...

"He's so stoic, so brooding!" the mare fawned over him, and continued the thought with fire in her eyes and a hoof to her face in conviction, "With my love, I'LL MELT HIS ICY HEART AND MAKE HIM SO HAPPY!"

Her friend couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Yeah, yeah, he's cute, but he ain't THAT cute."

Away from the field, and the renewed vigor in the stands for the next race that was starting, Sterling Spear dunked his face and mane into a vat of cold water. The chilly liquid abated his anger and helped him think clearer, not to mention felt fabulous after a brisk run. It wasn't much of one, but even heavily athletic pegasi got sweaty after some activity.

He sighed in contentment as he let the rivulets drip down his body. After a brief moment of relaxing silence, he turned back around to return to the training fields, but halfway through he almost took an involuntary leap. Right next to him, Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence had somehow materialized out of thin air while he wasn't aware.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Sterling Spear, I didn't mean to alarm you." Princess Cadence tried to assure him when she noticed his distress.

"It is no trouble at all, Princess Cadence," Sterling appropriately bowed to the stunning mare in front of him.

Cadence took a moment, now that they were face to face, as Celestia had shown him to her from afar not but a few minutes ago, to take in his form. Celestia did not exaggerate when she had said he was very fetching. The sandy, coffee complexion of his fur looked blissfully soft and even, clinging to his well-built frame from the dip he had just took. The long, black mane that flowed around his face majestically was similarly wet, and mysteriously half-hid his lustrous green irises, steely and serious. Although she wanted to refrain from roaming his body with her eyes, easy to get lost in, she took stock of his large, powerful wings, folded at his sides. Also, as customary, everypony is curious about the cutie mark on their flanks, and thus Cadence peeked, for purely informational purposes, mind you. The mark was, as his name suggested, a wooden spear with a steel arrowhead, pointed toward the ground, being slammed into it as a yellow, circular light curled around the point.

"Is there something the matter, Princess?"

As Cadence found herself at a small loss for what to say exactly, Celestia, behind the pink alicorn for moral support, nudged her gently, indicating that she strike up a conversation.

She took a few tentative steps toward the stallion and spoke up again awkwardly, "I was wondering if you would have a few moments to discuss some things with me..."

Sterling didn't often get caught off guard, and females were typically a dime a dozen for him, but the personal attention from a princess of Equestria was definitely not something one received everyday, nor was to be taken lightly. He found himself doing something he detested other stallions for when they conversed with mares that they found attractive, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof. Slightly disgusted with himself at the behavior, he no less kept most of his attention on the pink princess in front of him and with mechanical respect issued a question.

"...What would you like to know?..."


	2. Chapter 2

Princess Cadence formulated a response to Sterling Spear's inquiry after a few thoughtful seconds. Celestia just sat back and smiled at her attempt to play matchmaker for the youngsters.

"I have been informed that you were a student in historical literature at the Hoofington College of Liberal Studies, and I had a burning question for you on a little excerpt from one of the old Agrarian Age poems in a book I own."

Of course, said book, while it existed, was not necessary for Cadence to remember or recite, from memory, the epic poem. She was simply giving the stallion a test to prod his knowledge.

"Yes, Princess, I am familiar with some poetry of that age," Sterling nodded with his typical curt stare, "Is there a particular poem you wish to expound on?"

Cadence smirked to herself invisibly. If this stallion was as well-read as Celestia had made him out to be, he would recognize the script immediately.

"First, why don't I just start reciting it, and you can guess as to which poem I am talking about, my noble stallion?"

The sandy steed had to keep back his groan of frustration. He despised playing guessing games, and wished that Cadence would just ask him and get it over with, "...Well...please, Princess, continue..."

Cadence smiled and cleared her throat to get the right pitch and mood set. Once she had done so, she threw out a hoof dramatically, doing her best to act out the scene in a way that would do the author some justice:

- "Hark, the mist strangles the quiet mountain countryside!..."

Sterling gave his response not even a second thought, cutting off the princess before she could continue any further, "I believe you are referring to, "The Serfs' Song", by Grassy Grove, am I correct?..."

The princess' hoof met the ground with a thud as her jaw unhinged. Did he just correctly name the poem and its creator without so much as eight words of the few hundred lines the work entailed? It wasn't even the beginning, or near the end, where he could easily distinguish it from other poems!

"...Why...yes, Sterling...that is exactly what it was!..."

She was impressed. Scratch that, she was very, VERY impressed! She took a glance back at Celestia and gave her a quiet whisper of appreciation, to which the white mare simply grinned back in an "I told you so" manner.

With reverent disinterest in the current conversation, Sterling addressed the pink alicorn once again, "Will that be all, Princess Cadence?"

The flustered filly whipped her head back around to Sterling and bashfully shuffled her hooves in place. Although, with his unrivaled masculinity and unflinching soulful stare, she thought it would be impossible to be more attracted to the strapping colt, that feeling increased ten-fold at his literary savvy.

"Oh, actually, I haven't asked you my question about it yet, Sterling," she quickly rambled to keep him from taking off prematurely. This was where the real interview began, and she was hoping he would have a lot to say about the next one...

"What would you say is the message that Grassy Grove was trying to convey with this poem?"

The black-maned pony made a deceptive sigh as if he were concentrating heavily on the question, however, it was a well-masked display of uncaring and unfeeling. His father had thrown him into that school because they had donated a hefty amount of work-out equipment from their personal facilities to the Royal Guard Academy. They were some of the highest quality pieces of gear in the land, but Sterling felt it was a poor excuse for making him go through five years of the rubbish classes he was subjected to. His competitive spirit compelled him to exceed his peers, which he obviously did, but that was where his stock in the school ended. He was glad to finally be out...

"The Serfs' Song, I would say, is a harrowing tale of peasant life, rife with satire against the privileged classes and pessimism concerning the serfs' ability to gain equality from their masters. It was mostly a warning to future generations to oppose feudalism, as it had destroyed the lives of the many for the benefits of the few."

Next thing Cadence knew, she was being supported by a white wing on one side. She felt giddy, light-headed, and most of all, relieved that she had FINALLY found somepony who appreciated fine literature as much as she had. The pink mare was completely and utterly weak in the knees from the silky smooth voice of this wonderful, articulate stallion not but a few feet away.

She looked up at Celestia, who had saved her from a fainting spell. The alabaster pony had a comical look on her regal face, denoting what Cadence probably looked like at the time, a sloppy mess on her wing.

Once Cadence realized her vulnerable position, she righted herself briskly and readjusted the gold crown on her head. She was thankful that Sterling Spear didn't seem to register her near flop to the ground. In fact, he was taking glances at the training grounds, where he was probably either due back for another race, or anxious to monitor the techniques of his opposition, always on the hunt for new obstacles to hurdle, or fresh meat to belittle.

"That was great, Sterling! I couldn't have said it better myself, although I may have had a different interpretation."

His icy green gaze slanted back to Princess Cadence as she continued to speak with him. He was starting to wonder why she was out here in the first place. Shouldn't she be doing something more...princessy, like trying on new outfits or gossiping with her noble-mare friends?

"What part did you like most about the poem, Sterling?" Cadence went into a gushing state, wanting to recount everything she loved about Grassy Grove's work, and that of every other classic poet for that matter, "I liked the part where the farmer's son and the tailor's daughter profess their love for each other. It was so romantic!"

The hard look on Sterling's face was difficult to read, a perfect cover for the slight sneer the princess' last statement elicited from him. Romance? Love? Puh! Those were merely inhibitors for things that truly mattered, such as striving for excellence and superiority. The ambitious stallion DID, however, have a favorite theme from that wretched poem, one that resonated with him to this day.

"I tend to favor the more...action oriented scenes, such as the fall of the prince's castle, where the peasants exacted vengeance on the nobility for an unforgivable tax in the best way possible," Sterling's eyes momentarily lit up passionately at the remembrance, "by driving them out through brute force and defacing the statues of their oppressors!"

Even though the admission was a tad...unsettling, Cadence was just glad that he had shown some enthusiasm for the work, which he had not the whole time they were conversing.

"Well..." she started, at a loss for what to say to his possibly misguided zeal, "I'm so glad that you enjoyed it either way."

A similar pattern followed the next hour or so, with Cadence effervescently listing off who she thought were the greatest writers and poets of all time, and Sterling, wanting to put a sword through his chest at the never-ending prattle, but respectfully listening and giving what he deemed was appropriate feedback whenever she asked something. She hadn't explained why she was still here. Her question had been answered. Why wouldn't she just come out with it?

Sterling thanked the heavens when Cadence suddenly realized that she would need to return to the castle very soon, no doubt, as the stallion thought, to commence with other activities just as meaningless. However, he wasn't expecting the next question to bubble up from the, admittedly, attractive mare's lips.

"I suppose I should get to the reason I'm here in the first place. I know that the captain, your father, had expressed misgivings with what I am about to propose, and I hope that he will find it in his heart to forgive Princess Celestia and I for asking you this, but I just can't let this opportunity pass me by."

The pink mare stepped a little closer to the battle-hardened colt, who eased back slightly at the invasion of personal space, though not enough to seem rude. There was a slight darkening of her cheeks as she did so, which Sterling observed passively.

"Sterling Spear...I hereby officially request that you become a suitor for my hoof in marriage. If you wish to decline, that is acceptable, but I do not request this of just anypony. I see something in you that is severely lacking from most of the stallions I have ever known, and on top of that," Cadence felt her mouth run dry and gulped a bit, "I think you're very cute... Would you do me the honor of becoming a candidate, Sterling?"

Cute?...CUTE?...Why not dashing? Why not GLORIOUS? Heck, even beautiful would've been less insulting than that! Sterling inwardly fumed in awkward self-consciousness.

No, no, now was not the time to be enraged by that, as vile as it was! The princess, A PRINCESS OF EQUESTRIA had just asked him to become an eligible suitor for her affection, admiration, but more importantly, the power that the royal family held over all of creation! Screw the first two, THAT was an offer of rank and prestige that would surely bring him closer to his lifelong dreams, one of which was to rule Equestria with an iron hoof.

As he mused on those things, he also scanned the lithe form of the pink alicorn. It was a predatory, hungry stare, ravaging her very being with only his eyes as the tool. Princess or not, his male hormones, typically pushed down to focus on greater endeavors, would not allow him to forget that she was indeed the pinnacle of equine beauty. How he would savor their honeymoon...

Shaking his head slightly to clear the perverse notions, he came back to the real world, watching Cadence wait for his answer with anticipation. Time to put his plans into action, it seemed.

"...I would be most humbled and willing, Your Grace," he genuflected low to the ground.

Cadence stifled the squeak of delight she desperately wished to emit, "That is outstanding, Sterling! Please, just call me Cadence from now on. It would be kind of weird to have a coltfriend address me so formally. I would love if you could accompany me for dinner tonight as a first step in our courtship."

After all of this wasted time, better spent on things less trivial, Sterling wouldn't dare say no and ruin this once in a lifetime chance. He put on the best happy smile he possibly could, which somehow morphed back into a simple flirtatious smirk. Happiness wasn't one of his stronger suits.

"I would love that...Cadence."

The princess' name rolled off of his tongue naturally. Well, it certainly would when you're a stallion who wishes to become the prince.

"Wonderful! I will send the guards to pick you up at your home...the barracks, actually, right?"

"Yes Cadence, that is correct."

Cadence turned around slightly to gesture that she needed to be off, but not without a shy wave of her hoof, "So long for now, Sweetie..."

WILLPOWER, STERLING, WILLPOWER! SWEETIE? He had never before felt such a combination of fury and stomach gurgles as he nearly lurched forward to throttle her, "I will see you at dinner...Honey..."

Cadence giggled to herself at the pet name. He was obviously crushing on her, he just had to be.

As Princesses Cadence and Celestia turned to continue their journey back to the castle, Sterling punched himself across the face, willing the bile on his tongue to go away after what he had just forced himself to say. All for the crown, it was all for the crown!

When the two mares were out of earshot, Cadence whispered lightly to Celestia, "Ooh, Aunt Celestia, I should have you locked up for not introducing me to that gorgeous hunk sooner!"

Celestia just laughed her joke off, all the while feeling a hint of smugness, "Liked what we saw, did we?"

"Oh we liked," Cadence played along, "We liked A LOT!"

Sterling simply huffed, rather annoyed with how he handled the situation, but realizing that climbing to the top sometimes meant debasing one's self every once in a while. He trotted back off to the training fields to resume his ritualistic cool off sessions by beating anypony and everypony to hoof and flight races.

* * *

As Sterling Spear returned to the "field of honor", he spotted a new, yet familiar, face on the sidelines, one that represented every single thing that he wished to conquer and grind into the dust. The fillies had all left for the day, leaving him, his fellow soldiers, aptly dubbed his "cronies", and one, lonesome unicorn stallion, sniffing the daisies and talking to the grass. The mathematics of this situation could not be more perfect...

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Shining Armor!" he heckled the white unicorn, "I thought you'd be impersonating a tree in a forest or wasting your time with those knickknacks you call "art" in your dorm!"

Shining Armor looked up from the ground at the brazen pegasus, fearful of the potential for harm the captain's son often inflicted on him. He stepped back slightly as the other, older guard ponies took note of his presence, coming closer to assist Sterling in picking on him.

"Yeah," one of them snorted stupidly, "where's your little clarinet, Armor? Why don't you play us a song to beat you up to?"

"C...c...come on, guys," Shining Armor quivered, "I don't want any trouble."

Sterling had been hoping to catch Armor around the training grounds today. After the atrocious talk he had with the princess, he was itching to gain back some of his masculinity, and what better way than to get four ponies, including yourself, gathered together to wail on one meek, spineless bystander?

"Sorry Armor, but it looks like trouble just FOUND you, as it always seems to," Sterling sneered gleefully. As Armor retreated slowly, his comrades drew closer and closer, trying to keep at least one step faster than Armor in case he should sprint away.

Soon enough, the predictable pattern repeated itself, and Armor was running in the opposite direction like his life depended on it. Like trained dogs on the hunt for foxes, Sterling and his crew pursued the unicorn. He was pretty fast, for a weakling, but the light brown pony wouldn't be satisfied until he had gotten at least one or two hits in on his mobile training dummy.

Armor was attempting to hide inside a nearby thicket of trees, but as Sterling unsheathed his wings and started to bullet at high speed, that goal would elude the poor colt. A pegasus, three years his senior, somehow found great elation in roughing him up every chance he got, and this time would be no different.

Sterling tackled Armor around his waist, evoking a sharp grunt from the hapless pony as he skidded to the grass-covered plain. The pegasus triumphantly cackled as he started smacking and punching Armor before the other blockheads could join in on the action. They soon did however, doing a number on the lonesome stallion with kicks and more punches. They didn't want to kill him, just to do enough to vent their daily problems onto an undeserving target.

As per Shining Armor's style, he never fought back. Of course, he would urge his fellows to get along and live in harmony, as he was doing now.

"Please guys (smack), can't we (punch) talk about this? What's wrong (kick), why are you all so angry (smack) all the time?"

They ignored him, like always, and continued until he was sufficiently tenderized. Armor groaned in unbridled pain. Though nothing was broken, and usually never was, it stung pretty badly. The thing that hurt him the most, however, was how Sterling and his posse could not find their inner peace, and instead resorted to violent beatings to calm the tumultuous feelings inside of them.

Satisfied with the misery he had caused the unicorn, Sterling ordered the others to leave him alone, that he'd had enough for now. He hovered over the battered body of Shining Armor, leering down at him threateningly.

"...and remember, you dirty hippie, if you squeal on us to anypony, we'll make sure you get it even harder next time!"

With a dominant snort of derision, Sterling finally got up, telling his friends to get out of here before anypony saw them, and did the same.

Once he was sure he was alone, Shining Armor sighed sadly. He truly felt sorry for ponies who had nothing better to do than hurt each other. He was reminded of an awful story he had read just recently in the news about two young colts in Manehattan that had been killed by a large group, supposedly a gang, just because one of the gang members had not liked the look one of the colts gave him. It had been a brutal slaughter, one that made Armor inconsolable for days. When faced with a depressed Armor, his roommate would badger him.

"What's the big deal, Armor? Crud like that happens every day! It's just the media trying to up-sell their newspapers!"

Such insensitivity tore at Armor's already fragile emotions. How could ponies blow off something so tragic as if it were nothing at all? Though, if what his roommate said was true, how could the newspaper companies inform the public on such travesties, only for the sole purpose of gaining exposure and making more bits? This world, though Shining Armor wished he could be optimistic, could stand to gain from a lot more compassion. These were the very reasons that Armor tried to live his life as quiet, humble, and non-intrusive as he possibly could, and studied up on the great thinkers and artists of the past for wisdom, the wisdom to make this world a better place for everypony.

In his current state, he couldn't move very much, and even less so was able to stand and walk off. Therefore he decided to sleep it off for a few hours. Hopefully, nopony would find him sprawled out, half-dead, and be suspicious as to why.

His luck would run short as not but an hour or so later, a gruff, old voice entered his ears, waking him out of his slumber.

"Wake up, private! Can't have new recruits napping out on the training grounds."

It sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite pinpoint the tone. Wasn't it one of his teachers at the academy? He opened his eyes, still in a considerable amount of pain once his dream-like state was interrupted. The cerulean eyes of the unicorn bore up into the old, black eyes of, ironically, Sterling Spear's distinguished father.

"Urk...Captain Broadlance?" Shining Armor tried to rise and regard the old warrior with reverence.

"Don't bother getting up yet, son," Broadlance replied, mortification clear on his features, "Looks like my boy really roughed you up good this time..."

"...Please, captain, it was my fault! I got ambushed by a manticore in the woods..."

The old pegasus threw a pearly white hoof up to hush the private, "I wouldn't bother with the tall tales, Shining Armor, I know my ill-tempered son's work when I see it."

Armor just rested there, not wanting to meet the apologetic eyes of his captain. After a few minutes, Broadlance decided that it was time to try to get Armor out of there.

"Here you go, private, I'll help you back to your barracks."

He hoisted the younger unicorn up mightily, making him wince with anguish.

"Walk it off, kid, just walk it off."

Broadlance supported the wobbly Armor as he synchronized his steps with the injured lad's, making sure not to push him too hard that he'd break something. They wandered over the field like that for a while before the captain spoke his mind.

"How do you keep getting into these situations, son? You really ought'a fight back when he does this nonsense. That's what you all are here for, to be tough!"

Armor couldn't talk and walk at the same time without stabs of pain, so he paced his words carefully as he insistantly shook his head, "I couldn't do that, captain! These are my friends, my brothers-in-arms!"

The old pony had a stiff reply, "Friends don't beat each other up, Armor! You've gotta learn that to make it in the guard, you have to be ready to fight at a moment's notice, even if that means the ponies you hang out with and care about."

Another round of silence enveloped them for a second before Armor started again, "Captain, why is Sterling Spear so angry and unfriendly all of the time?"

Broadlance sighed, if only he had a bit for every pony who asked him the same question, "Sterling is...troubled, Armor. Sure, he's an intelligent, strong, and quick-witted young stallion, but I'm afraid that I pushed him too hard when he was young sometimes, and he now thinks that everything is something to be conquered, dominated, and he doesn't want to stop until...well...he just doesn't want to stop. There will always be something in his life that demands that he rise to the top of it, and it does worry me every so often."

They ended up sitting on a bench near the track, as Armor couldn't handle anymore stress on his bruised legs. The old pegasus continued when they were settled, "Sometimes, I wished that he was more like you, friendlier, more understanding of different lifestyles, and less of a megalomaniac. So I put him in a liberal arts school to try to make him see things from other points of view. Unfortunately, he just uses the knowledge he gains to devise strategies for overtaking more and more things. I'm surprised he hasn't gone after the princesses and the crown yet with that kind of self-serving determination."

The white unicorn took in the entire story, finding the information both very enlightening, but very despairing as well. They started walking over some more after a while, taking it a step at a time. Armor was feeling a little better as his joints warmed up and pains dulled away.

"Not everypony in Equestria is as capable of charity as you'd like to believe, Armor," the old captain explained as they kept walking, "I've tried everything I can to make my son more so, and he will have nothing to do with it."

It was a hard pill for Shining Armor to swallow, but as he rested on his captain's shoulder while they walked he had to admit that there were plenty of other ponies out there willing to lie, steal, and cheat their ways to happiness, and in Sterling's case, to conquest, even if it meant preying on those who wish only the best for Equestria. Just one more reason for Armor to want to help change the world for the good of ponykind.

* * *

The next day, Princess Cadence decided to take an afternoon stroll through the forests close to the royal guard barracks. To her, it was the best way to get away from the tiring high society life she was expected to be a part of, while also being close to her bodyguards just in case something dangerous were to jump out at her. She basked in the warm tranquility, birds chirping in the distance, and leaves rustling all around. The sounds of nature were welcoming compared to the hustle and bustle of the castle she had left behind.

Last night had been just as spectacular as Cadence hoped. Sterling Spear was everything a mare could ever want in a husband: polite, pragmatic, assertive, and incredibly dashing. They shared many conversations on typical dating topics, such as their personal and professional goals, what they typically look for in a relationship, and even going so far as to state how many children they would wish to have one day. Of course, it seemed as if the thought of children upset Sterling somehow.

Now that Cadence thought about it, there were a few things...off about Sterling's behavior that didn't usually come up in most of her dates with other stallions. There were some topics Cadence tried to ask him about that had made Sterling somewhat uneasy. Some were fairly understandable, such as not wanting to talk about his father, as if he didn't really like him all that much, something most stallions would often admit to. Others were a little suspicious though, like if he were to ask her on a date, where would it most likely be? He had answered in a very non-committal way, and the locale would be on a battlefield, to which he then quickly apologized that he wasn't that good at picking romantic activities, and Cadence just laughed it off as if all were forgiven. He just didn't seem that interested in her personally.

The icing on this cake, however, came around at dinner time when Cadence found a fly in her soup. It was so sweet of Sterling to bring the waiter over to inform him of the mistake, whereas Cadence had told him not to worry about it. It was not so sweet, however, when they started to argue about it.

"I'm sorry sir," the dignified waiter had drawled to Sterling, "but that fly had to have landed in the soup sometime after I had brought it out, as I saw nothing in it before..."

"How dare you!" Sterling had started to lose his temper after the colt refused his demand to fetch the pink mare another soup, clean of insects. It wasn't about the soup or Cadence though anymore, as much as it was the waiter not bending to his will, "You will go back there and bring this lady a fresh bowl, or I will make sure that you never work in this city ever again!"

As exciting as Sterling was to Cadence, getting so passionate over something so small just for her was quite the turn on, his intensity could have boiled the waiter's brains out if he stared into his eyes long enough. There was a certain point where assertiveness bled into outright controlling, and Sterling had seemed to cross that line just a bit.

"...R...Right away, sir..." the waiter wasted not a single moment appeasing the stallion's anger, to which Sterling cooled down, though not without a "see that you are more prompt the next time..."

Otherwise, the date ended up being very nice, and Cadence was already making more plans to go out with Sterling again soon. She was really convinced that she had possibly found her brave knight with whom to share her life with, as she daydreamed about him in all of his handsome, stoic glory.

A male voice in the woods immediately snapped Cadence out of her reverie, making her hide behind a nearby bush trying to locate the direction in which the voice had come from.

"Please you two, you have to believe me! I didn't do it!"

Whoever it was, they were kind of whiny and pathetic, like one of the children she had foal-sat many years ago. She poked her head out of the bush in the direction she thought she heard the cry. As she did, she took in a caustic sight. Two large, meaty ponies, one earth and one pegasus were encircling a white unicorn stallion with a two-toned dark blue and aqua mane with a dark, navy-blue stripe. He definitely wasn't a slouch in the looks department, though nowhere near the level of her darling Sterling Spear.

As this was the forest right outside the guard barracks, these three must've been trainees, or recruits, or possibly even higher, for the Royal Guard. She listened in, hiding herself from sight, not wanting to get caught up in the scuffle at hoof.

"Don't give us those horse-apples, Shining Armor!" the earth pony shouted, enraged way beyond healthy, "Broadlance put Jagged Kris on latrine duty for a whole month because of you, you squealer!"

"No, no," the meek unicorn, known as Shining Armor, refuted pleadingly, "He just gave me a lift back to the barracks, I swear! I didn't tell him anything that you guys did!"

"Oh he found out somehow," the thin yet ripped pegasus supported his friend, curling his lip in sarcastic malice, "he couldn't have just woken up one day and thought, 'Oh, I bet Jagged Kris beat up Shining Armor today!'

"It wasn't me," Armor's eyes filled with fearful tears as the two bullies stepped closer to their punching bag, "Come on guys, you've gotta believe me!"

The earth pony suddenly shot a hoof out at the unicorn's face, making his head reel to the other side and knocking him to the ground with a rough thud. Cadence cringed at such a violent display, feeling a bit sorry for the outnumbered pony. She was about to go over and chew them out, but didn't want anypony to know she was in the forest to begin with, so she just winced every time a hoof would land in its desired spot of Shining Armor's body.

Luckily, the threat of worse beatings from yesterday was not upheld. The two ruffians were satisfied when Armor had started to whimper with pain, still recovering from the attack yesterday too. The earth pony got up in Armor's face one last time and grinned horribly, "I'm gonna tell everypony at the barracks what you did. You'll never be able to go outside without being made fun of ever again!"

He laughed condescendingly as he gave Armor's face a playful, yet heavy, slap. Retreating from the wooded area back to their dorms, not wanting to get caught at the scene of the crime, the forest became unnaturally quiet again, save for the squirming and light sobs of the poor unicorn.

Cadence, while being completely flabbergasted at their behavior, wondered why the heck Armor didn't even try to fight back at least once. He was supposed to be some kind of prospective guard or recruit, wasn't he? Fighting is what guards are meant for, and good at in the majority of cases. She didn't want to sound mean by this, but what a wimp!

As she almost came out into the clearing where Armor lay to ask him about that, she ducked back suddenly when he rolled over in a hurry, as if finding something very wrong with his position. When she decided to peek again at the scene, Cadence and Shining Armor were both horrified to find a helpless cardinal, body sprawled out after the unicorn was knocked to the ground on top of it. It was still alive, thankfully, but it had suffered severe trauma to its wings, and would need veterinary attention right away if it were to heal fully.

"I'm so, so sorry..." Shining Armor could've blubbered at the pitiful sight in front of him. If only he could have watched where he was falling. No, there was no time to regret! He had to act fast or else the frail wings of the little cardinal would snap, "It's going to be alright, just try not to move too much..."

If there was one thing Armor was thankful to the guard for, it would have to be his extensive training in first aid. He didn't have a whole lot on him at the moment, but he spotted some long, thin wood chips sticking out of a tree next to him. He used his magic to pry them off and hover them over to their positions. However, without any wrappings for the makeshift splints, he plucked some long strands of grass from the field behind him, once again, hovering those over.

Cadence watched the nursing unfold with rapt attention. For being part of the Royal Guard, this stallion was awfully considerate, even to something as small and weak as a bird. She hadn't known too many guards who would've even noticed that they had fallen on the little creature, let alone give it the tender care Shining Armor was.

"It's okay, little one," Armor hummed to it as tried to squirm away from the large, scary unicorn, "We're just going to tie this around there, and...there you go, all done!" he righted the little bird gently, making sure it was comfortable with the treatment, and put it back up in a tree, where presumably its nest was resting on a thick branch, "With those splints, you'll be flying again in no time at all."

The touched alicorn would've come out of her hiding spot to praise the colt for his kindness, until she heard him say something to the cardinal. It was a small excerpt from an old poem, one that Cadence never thought, in a million years, anypony in this time period would have been aware of. What was even more stunning was the language in which he interpreted it. There had been translations for the work in their modern tongue, but Shining Armor was speaking in the original Old Equestrian, a language that was unintelligible to all but the most learned scholars. The words reverberated through her very core as he recited lovingly to the cardinal.

- "With these wings, I shall soar, above pain, injustice, and heartbreak. Many would clip them, many would break them, but none can destroy them. One day, I will fly higher than the tallest mountain can reach, where mortal concerns extinguish. It is then that I may truly be free."

Never before had the princess ever witnessed a more enthralling moment. Every word was uttered from the heart, as if it had somehow related to the colt's own repressed life. It was as if the stallion and cardinal were on some hidden wavelength that Cadence could not access, the bird chirping happily to its new friend, and Armor subsequently chuckling at its antics. She found herself slightly uncomfortable at the realization, almost...jealous.

The royal pony was not aware that she was holding a breath, and it expelled as a longing sigh...

"Whoa, uh..." Shining Armor could swear he heard somepony, or something, just exhale, his relaxed state from before became a tad jittery and apprehensive, "Is someone there?"

"Urk...me and my big mouth," Cadence reprimanded herself behind the bush. Well, her cover was blown now. May as well let him know she's here. She stepped out into the clearing with a regal flare. She was a princess, after all, and couldn't give off the impression that she had been sneaking around.

As she made her presence known to Shining Armor, he was shocked to find a pony he wouldn't expect to be enjoying the woodland scenery as he did.

"...Princess...Cadence?..."


	3. Chapter 3

"OH, uh, Princess Cadence!" Shining Armor fumbled on his front hooves to bow as low as possible. What could the princess possibly be doing out in a secluded, possibly dangerous area like this?

The alicorn grimaced slightly at the stallion's clumsy display of respect, but also because he had been so open just a second ago, and now he looked like he was going to have a panic attack if she didn't try to calm him down soon. Where did the sensitive poet go?

"It's alright, Mr. Shining Armor, you may rise from your hooves."

Armor stood back up slowly, not wanting to rise too fast as to seem disrespectful. His face was a mask of confusion though, as he didn't recall ever meeting the princess one-on-one before.

"H...how do you know my name, Your Highness?"

"Oh...well..." the princess inwardly cursed herself for addressing him as if she knew him. Now she'd have to let him know what she saw earlier, "...I...may have seen the incident that just transpired with your...fellow guards."

The unicorn's face twisted with worry as she mentioned the two ponies that had attacked him earlier, "Please Princess, don't punish them! They were just defending a friend whom I had been wrongly accused of getting in trouble, nothing more!"

The princess hoped that the unladylike look of discombobulation she gave him was lost on the colt. Why in the name of Equestria was he protecting those two bullies? He should feel angry, wronged, at least put-out for pony's sake! She didn't even get the impression that he was affected by the abuse at all, other than a few yelps of pain when a tender spot was irritated.

"I do not wish to pry, but why didn't you fight back, Shining Armor? You're a royal guard in the military, and you didn't even throw a punch at them."

"I'm so sorry, Princess," Shining Armor suddenly pleaded with her, "I know I'm supposed to be strong, and all of that, and I probably should've defended myself at least a little, but," his tone grew doleful, "I've just never seen any good reason to harm other ponies needlessly. I can't bring myself to hit them, or any living thing for that matter..."

Wow...he really was a pacifist...

Cadence decided to forgo the earlier question, "Okay, don't worry about it. I won't put any punishment on those two ponies, if it will ease your mind."

"Thank you so much, Your Highness!"

Geez, he was really wound up tight. She liked him more when he wasn't so frantic and eager to please. She got enough of that treatment at the palace as it was. Maybe she could get him to open up if she asked him some questions he might be more comfortable with.

"So..." she searched for a good topic, "...how is the little bird up there doing?"

Armor whipped his head around to the nest on the branch of the tall tree in front of him. The crack of a smile on his face was a good sign to the princess.

"I think she will be just fine, once her wings are done healing. I'll come out here everyday with some birdseed until she is able to fend for herself again."

She could see the absolute pride in helping and care for the bird permeating from him. Most ponies would seem burdened or inconvenienced by having to watch after an animal that wasn't their pet for more than an hour or two. Shining Armor, on the other hoof, spoke as if it were a privilege to take time out of everyday for somepony or something to make sure they were all better. Cadence couldn't help but smile warmly at the conviction.

"Well...I'll be the first to say it, you are a very kindhearted stallion for being there for her, and for mending her wounds."

Armor shifted his attention back to the princess, scratching his face with a hoof in embarrassment, "I would do the same for anyone if I could, but thank you, Princess, it is an honor to assist your subjects, both big and small."

Cadence looked back up at the branch with the cardinal on it, sleeping soundly in her nest. She hoped it would be alright by itself, alone with no one around in case she fell out. She would hold Armor to his promise with the strength of the royal family. She slowly walked over to the tree, refocusing on Shining Armor again. This time, she just had to know about his recital a few minutes prior.

"...Where did you learn of that poem, and in the original Old Equestrian nonetheless?"

Armor gulped awkwardly, just now realizing that the princess must have been listening in on that as well. He blushed a tad in self-consciousness, "Oh um...you heard that did you, Princess?"

"Yes, I did. Now please, Shining Armor, inform me. It has been ages since I heard even a translation of that poem, let alone the untranslated edition."

The princess' purple eyes were fixed on Armor's in undivided attention. His eyes, however, could not keep so much hard contact, and would shift around to other objects in the woods as he divulged, "I just learned it a few years ago from an aging friend of mine. He was really into writing and poems. I guess the verse just stuck with me. It's actually kind of special to me since...he passed away." Armor's face was buried in his chest as the sorrowful memory crossed his mind.

"I am truly sorry about your friend..."

A tinge of regret at making him relive the sad time ran through Cadence, and she tried to get his mind off of it with some discussion of the excerpt. She always did like talking about literature, even if it was with somepony she didn't really know that well.

"Was there some part about it, in particular, that reflected your own life or circumstances?"

Armor just looked back up, lip curling into a wry grin, "Not mine, so much, Your Majesty, as my friend's. You see, he had a rough family life in his youth, a father who was a violent drunk, and a mother who would get battered by his father when he was in a drunken fury. He would often tell me how, in those days, he wished he could just escape the situation and fly toward a blissful world beyond the horizon. He always was a daydreamer, just like me..."

He held up a hoof to inspect it curiously. He had run out of things to focus on other than the princess' striking eyes, "This was when he started reading up on the works of Molten Flame, as you are probably aware, the author of that poem. Mr. Flame's works revolved around a similar life experience to my friend's, which he gobbled up in earnest," that anecdote the old codger told him about made Shining Armor chuckle at the memory, "So, many years later, we became good friends and he passed his knowledge on to me. He never did have a wife or children to leave that kind of information to, so we often half-joked that it was like a father handing the torch to his son."

"That's so sweet..." the princess' eyes were half-lidded with an adoring smile for the sentiment.

"Heh...heh heh..." Armor felt five times more nervous now that he had poured his feelings out inappropriately to a princess of Equestria, rubbing his scalp slightly with a hoof, "I guess...that may have been a little too personal..."

"Oh not at all, I think it was a great thing that you two were so close," the princess hurriedly reassured the white unicorn.

As they fell into a thick silence, Armor started getting tense again. He wanted to ask her something, but felt it would be out of line for somepony of his station. Tentatively, and wording it in the nicest way possible, which ended up sounding extremely dorky, he pressed on, "Princess Cadence, may I ask what it is you have come out to the forest to do today? You know...if you want to tell me, that is."

Her eyes widened substantially at the colt's question. She had completely forgotten about her relaxing, breezy stroll, which she would have just as well assumed she would be completely alone until now.

"Oh no, please forgive me, Princess," Armor was terrified that he had somehow offended the princess with his inquiry, "I didn't mean to say something I shouldn't have!"

"It is QUITE alright, Shining Armor," his deference was so humiliating to himself, it was starting to annoy her, "quit worrying about offending me so much! I would rather you speak your mind around me than cower like a dog at every little thing."

So...was that a "yes, she was angry", or a "no, she was not"? Armor was getting some mixed messages from the exacerbated scrunch she had in the bridge of her nose.

"...Okay...Your Highness..." he whimpered.

"And please, just call me Cadence for now. There is no other pony around to be shocked at it, myself included."

"Alright...Cadence," he cringed back just in case it was a joke to trap him with, but when she just gave him a contented smirk, he figured that was what the princess wanted all along.

"Now then," she continued, "to answer your question from before," the alicorn loosened up to enjoy some of the flowers that the last ten minutes had deprived her of, "I wanted to get away from the palace for a little while. Ruling a principality can be stressful, and I typically vent that stress by immersing myself in the sights, sounds, and smells of the woodlands in this and other areas."

She turned around to regard the unicorn yet again, "Does that answer your question sufficiently, Shining Armor?"

The private wouldn't have pegged the royal pony as one to get her hooves dirty by crawling around in tall grass, thickets, and dusty, incoherent pathways. Though, he did have to admit, the benefits of such a journey had been cleansing his body and mind for most of his life now. He could definitely understand the draw.

"Yes, Cadence...and while we're on the subject of names, you can call me Armor for short if you'd like. Most of my family and friends do."

"That sounds fine...Armor," the princess giggled at the silly abbreviation, but it did somehow fit him...in a very disassociated sort of way. She walked up to Armor a little closer, "I could ask you the same question. What were YOU doing out here, in the middle of the woods?"

Armor coughed as he laughed, feeling a little at a loss for words now that he didn't remember why he was out there either, "I'm not sure exactly..."

Cadence's face fell pointedly at the admission. This stallion could be a little...goofy...when he wanted to be.

"...but I usually just come out here to do as you have, enjoy the tranquility of nature, to listen to the forest, both teeming with sound and silent at the same time. It's a good place to get away from the grinds of pony life, and just...blend in with the scenery as well as possible."

The alicorn never thought about it that way before, "Blending in...hmmm..."

"This particular area of the forest," Armor added, some of that energetic mood from his poetry reading seeping back into his voice, "is home to a little grotto not so far from this very spot, like an oasis in a desert, not that I'm saying this area isn't marvelous itself. Would you like to see this grotto, Princess?"

The thought was intriguing, as the woodlands were quite spacious, calming, and beautiful as it was right now. Hearing about this place being a kind of "oasis" had to be something special. She deliberated on it for a moment, expediently deciding on her gut instinct.

"S...sure...I'd love to see what this "grotto" is all about."

In the back of Cadence's mind, she took stock of how brilliant the childlike glow on Armor's face had become. It was a face she had never seen on somepony before, not in a long time anyway. She felt a random pang, like a murmur, in her chest at the sight.

"Then I'll show it to you," he was really enthused about this, "come, come," he motioned to her with a hoof toward a nearby thicket, "this way."

Armor nearly bounced away into the thicket before remembering that he needed to escort the princess since she didn't know where it was. He ended up tripping on a hoof and almost falling over while stopping himself. Cadence figured that this must be a treat if the shy private was practically leaping toward his destination, and lightly hummed to herself in amusement of his wobbliness.

She followed him close behind, not wanting to get lost without him in the darker areas of the woods he was leading her through, covered in a thick canopy of leaves and branches. The undergrowth below was no small obstacle either, as some of the bushes and grass grew in thick blankets, nearly covering her entire body up to her chin. Luckily for her, Shining Armor was a gentlecolt as he made sure the thorny bushes and blades of grass were parted for her as much as he could. She appreciated the gesture, as he would often grunt with the pain of a thorn stuck in his leg, which would then be pulled out with his magic. He made no fuss however, and would ask her constantly if she was still doing alright. She would, of course, reassure him countless times that she was, to which he would show relief.

The darkness continued to encroach upon them, the entire sun being almost blotted out. Cadence was starting to get a little uncomfortable with the low visibility. Whenever she heard a crow caw suddenly in the distance, she would noticeably tense up. Armor became aware of this after a time or two, and gently calmed her with a few encouraging words. She never thought she'd say it, but in this creepy area of the forest, one she had never been in before, she felt much safer with the white unicorn there to...hopefully be able to protect her.

A sliver of light beckoned from a small distance, guiding the way to some possible sanctuary. Armor pointed a hoof at it which Cadence could barely see from all the darkness, "There it is, we've just got a little more to go."

None of the zest in his voice had been lost, as he had probably been this way a million times, and knew what they were in for more than anypony. Moreover, this was a nice pocket of the woods to be able to share with another, and Armor wanted to see the look on her face when they arrived. She would no doubt be as impressed as he first was when he stumbled upon the clearing.

Prodding the last walls of grass and branch out of his way, the light getting brighter than ever, Armor stepped aside for the princess to enter first, "Please, Cadence, go ahead inside."

Cadence took a few careful steps forward, making sure not to cut herself on any stray thorns. A sense of relief washed over her as she made hoof-falls on a sturdier ground, the grass seeming to be freshly cut by some unknown force. The area was quite a bit brighter than the tall grass was.

The pink alicorn lifted her head up and beheld something magical. A glorious ray of the afternoon sun shone through the sky onto the little grotto, bereft of the obtrusive canopy. Flowers of all colors, shades, and species littered the area all around, a welcoming sight compared to the basic, dark green from before, perfuming the typically stale forest air with an array of fragrances. The surprisingly short, even bed of grass, circularly laid out in the center of everything ended at a fresh pond of pure water, surrounded by large gray pebbles, sparkling in the warm light. Connected to it was a serene, melodious waterfall that flowed constantly and consistently, reaching to the upper boundaries of the skyline.

Cadence was speechless. She had come to this very forest so many times before, and had not the faintest clue that a paradise resided within its borders. She must have seemed the part as Armor came up from behind her and smiled as he too greeted the quaint little clearing.

"Great, isn't it?" he gleefully walked into the grass bed, looking like he had just found a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

After a few moments of absorbing the beauty in front of her slowly, she was finally able to form a sentence, "I...it's much more than simply "great"! How did you find this clearing, Armor?"

Armor pursed his lips and stroked his chin, trying to remember how he made it here in the first place, "Well...I was wandering through the forest, as I usually like to do, and...I guess I just happened upon it one day...heh..."

The princess ran over to get a better look at the multicolored flowers, covering or sticking out of well-kept, trimmed bushes, sniffing them excitedly and carefully running a hoof through the petals, "Have you been tending to this grotto since then, Armor?"

"Yeah," he focused on a vine that curled around the pebbles situated over the edge of the pond, "ponies always used to tell me that I had a bit of a green hoof... I guess it explains why I like nature so much."

Cadence joined him over at the pond when she was through taking in the floral delights. She marveled at the clean, calmly flowing waterfall and basin it poured into. She couldn't believe that such a wonderful place existed. It was almost like something out of a fairy tale, obviously with some help from its resident gardener.

"It's gorgeous..." was all Cadence could articulate as she "oohed" and "aaahed" at the way the water cascaded out and away into some intentionally dug streams.

"Mmm hmm..." Armor sighed dreamily as his gaze bore into the surface of the still water, "...this place...reminds me of a book I read once. Where the story takes place has uncanny similarities. It was called..."

A shock went through Cadence's heart as she could remember reading that very same book. It was one of the most haunting, saddest love stories she ever read. The title caressed her lips soundlessly as Armor spoke it out loud.

"The Enchanted Grotto...by Placid Summer..."

Although the tale was irrevocably famous, quotes from the book having been used in vernacular language for centuries, is the foundation for most of modern Equestria's romantic works, and admittedly its popular culture as well, Cadence had not read the story in years. She could only stand there, awestruck and frozen, as Shining Armor's voice was reduced to a melancholic level, recounting parts of the story in a clarity that Cadence wouldn't have expected from the meek stallion, and in the original language of the first edition, to boot.

- "The moonlight filters through the trees, reaching down to grasp the soft earth below, enveloping the flora in a cool embrace. The breath of the angels embalms my flesh, and compels me into the sacred grotto. Swirling, shifting, the land was alive with peaceful composure, not one item out of place. It is here, my love, that you appeared, from the water's surface. You greeted me with desperation, longing for a friend. I greeted you with caution, though my needs had been one with yours. Though we could never touch, or hold, or nuzzle, that never mattered to me. Your presence would never be too little, for this tired soul..."

The princess knew many of those words by heart, though not as much as Armor seemed to. She had forgotten how cryptic the original had been, but no less beautiful. She only stood and listened intently, not daring to make Armor falter as he continued into another part.

- "Acceptance, worthiness, none I experienced until I met you. Not a sun or a moon rose or set when I would not long for your voice inside my ears, or to look upon your beautiful face, smooth as the stone surrounding your home. We would play, we would talk, consoling and congratulating, laughter, sorrow, nothing was sacred, though, regretfully, many things were left unsaid. The times we shared were precious, intangible. We reached out to each other, to become one, to coexist, as life and death were trivial, as long as they were shared. I wished every second could last forever..."

Cadence knew where this part was headed. She gulped as Armor finished the final part of the story, which was one of his favorites.

- "It was a fitting night, the moon in the sky faded, and the inky black choking the light from my eyes. Silence, painful, grating silence. This was a night that I hoped would never come, my tears coalescing with your deathly skin, shining faintly as it rippled. I wantonly grab for you, and you slip through my hooves. I shout the name you had confided in me. Silence, painful, grating silence. I stomp, I scream, the forest gives me no answer. The very witness I implored, only whistles a mournful tune, born out of nothing, and again returning to nothing. Silence, painful, grating silence.

"Helpless, alone, I sit by your side. Though your body and soul may slip away, the same will not be said for the memories that you and I share. I will cherish them with every bone in my body. I will remember these times, and I will never forget you. You will live on through me, with me, always within reach. I will stare into the water, and you will stare back. There may be a time where I will become the water, and we will be reunited. Until that day, I will wait for you by the edge of your pond, and guide you back to me again..."

Shining Armor huffed tiredly as he recited the last line of the prose, "Phew...a little ghostly, but overall an exceptional read!"

Armor waited for some kind of response from the princess with a big smile on his face. After a moment, he started worrying at the lack of feedback, "Um...Princess Cadence?"

He tilted his head toward her direction, having been looking at the pond the entire time. Upon scrutinizing her face, he noticed that drops of liquid were falling from her eyes, and a wing had been put up to her mouth in order to stifle the sobs she was making.

"OH HAYSEED, I just made her cry!" Armor panicked to himself.

He was on the ground again in less than a millisecond, prostrating like his family, career, and indeed very existence depended on it, "I'm so sorry, Your Highness! I didn't know you would be so upset with my choice of literature!"

"Oh no, I'll have to go back to my old job sweeping sidewalks for chump change!" he was about to get banished from the Royal Guard for sure.

Cadence tried to bite back the rest of the flow of tears as the dopey unicorn mistook her crying as something he did wrong. She sniffed a little, hoping the next words out of her mouth didn't sound nasal and garbled, "No, Armor, the way you presented those parts of the story was just wonderful!"

Through the remaining tears in her eyes, she gave Armor a warm smile, and his shoulder a friendly rub.

Armor's self-conscious streak returned, "Heh heh...I do really think that the original language represents the story the best, and what the author was trying to convey."

The royal mare was beyond impressed with his own literary savvy and with the unicorn himself, despite the fumbles in his conversational skills and eye contact. With what he had shown her today, and done for that poor little cardinal in the tree, there was something about the knight that warmed her whole body, and made her feel truly safe, although he was still a little on the submissive side of life.

"I believe so too, Armor."

"So uh..." the stallion began again, "Is it alright that you're here right now? You don't have to be anywhere, do you? You know, being a princess and all..."

Cadence thought about it for a minute. Unfortunately, she remembered that later tonight would be her outing with her aunt Celestia, so she wouldn't be able to stay much longer to chat about anything else. She didn't even think she'd be out this long at the beginning of her trip. She gave the charming stallion a disappointed look.

"I just remembered that I do have another important engagement later tonight. I wish we could talk some more about stories and poetry. You seem to have a real knack for the arts."

Armor swore his big head would explode from all of the compliments, "Well...I DO play the clarinet and sculpt pottery...but that's about it really."

"Hmm...maybe you'll have to perform something for me sometime..." she gave him a playful grin.

"I don't know..." he seemed apprehensive, "I'm probably not THAT good..."

"Don't sell yourself short, Armor," Cadence encouraged him, "from what you showed me with those excerpts, I think you'll do a lot of great things with those talents."

Now it was Armor's turn to get weepy eyed.

"...W...what did I say?..."

Armor moved a little closer to the pink mare, starting to feel just a tad more comfortable around the princess, "...That is the first time in my entire life that anypony ever told me they saw such potential in me."

"Really? I thought ponies would love to listen to you speak poetry verses. You capture the feelings of the author, and your audience, pretty well from what I gathered."

Cadence was rewarded for her kind words with a very genuine grin on the stallion's face. It was different from the quirky smirks he had given her before. This one seemed to be brimming with thankfulness, and it was a very handsome look for him.

"I suppose I ought to be going now though," Cadence almost didn't want to go at this point, "could you escort me back to the other side of the thicket, my good knight?"

Armor, while subconsciously wishing the princess could stay a little longer, complied without hesitation, "Sure Cadence, no problem."

Another gauntlet of thorns, underbrush, and darkness later, and Shining Armor had successfully completed his mission. The princess thanked him for his help, and the two began to part ways.

"I'm going to stay here for now and make sure the cardinal is still doing okay," Armor motioned toward the nest with a hoof.

"You really are too kind, Armor. It was a pleasure meeting somepony as caring and full of great ideas as you. We will have to get together again another time soon."

"Oh no, Cadence, the pleasure was all mine, and I would love that," this time, he bowed, but not simply out of fearful respect. This time, it was from the bottom of his heart. She was truly a spectacular princess.

The two shared one last moment of appreciation, giving each other a friendly wave goodbye. Soon, she had taken flight, leaving Shining Armor alone with the bird again.

"Okay, little lady, let's go out there and try to find you something to eat, shall we?"

The bird chirped hungrily, Armor chuckled at the action, "Alright, alright, I'll put a double-time on it."

As she took flight above the forests near the training grounds, Princess Cadence thought back to her meeting with the awkward, yet dashing, alluring colt. If only it weren't for his lower rank, thereby gaining ire from the public, she would have to definitely consider him a candidate for marriage. She sighed forlornly. As it was, he just wasn't highly regarded enough in certain social circles. Maybe they could just be secret friends, but even then it still didn't seem to be enough for how she really felt. Sometimes, Cadence bitterly wondered why these stupid societal norms had to even be upheld at all.

* * *

MEANWHILE IN THE PERSONAL CHAMBERS OF PRINCESS CELESTIA

"Come on in, Broadlance, the door is not locked," Celestia called to the pony whom she knew was on the other side. She was the pony who had summoned him here, after all.

The aged pegasus politely opened the door just enough to squeeze through and shut it behind him. He hobbled over to one of the seats that the princess was gesturing for him to sit down in.

"It is good to see you, Captain. How's the old hip these days?"

Broadlance rolled his eyes comically at his long-time ruler and friend's quip, "No worse than usual, I suppose, but these old joints won't be lasting me much longer, I'm sure."

He sat down with a light plop, trying not to beat his older body up too much.

"Would you care for something to drink, Broadlance?" Celestia offered graciously.

Broadlance replied quickly, "Some water would really hit the spot, if you could. My throat's been killing me after all of the drills at the academy, shouting at the youngsters."

Celestia chortled lightly at the admission, "Oh Broadlance, you really shouldn't push the poor colts too hard. You'll put them in their graves before they put you in yours."

"Very funny," Broadlance tried to look offended, but his face betrayed his humor.

A comfortable calm was reached between the two, sipping on their own drinks and relaxing in the beautiful daylight, before Celestia decided to get down to business.

"You are probably wondering why I have summoned you to my chambers, Captain."

Broadlance refocused his attention back to the princess, "I'm definitely a little curious, Celestia."

Celestia didn't know how to broach the subject without making the old warrior uncomfortable, so she decided to be as direct as possible.

"I asked you to come today, concerning your son, Sterling Spear..."

Broadlance could only hope that his son had not done something incredibly stupid again, "...What about him, Celestia?" He grasped his cup in his hooves and started to sip some of the cool water.

"I don't quite know how to say this," Celestia felt a little flustered, knowing that Broadlance probably wouldn't be happy...at all, "I have...taken the liberty of introducing your son to my niece, Cadence, for her hoof in marriage."

The cup Broadlance was holding suddenly found its way onto the floor, shattering into tiny fragments.

"Ack...sorry Celestia, my old hooves just don't have the gripping power anymore..."

"It's quite alright, Broadlance," Celestia used her magic to pick up the shards of the cup and place them in a nearby waste bin.

Broadlance was understandably upset, though hoped the princess wouldn't see too far into his thoughts on the matter, "I do recall specifically requesting that Sterling not be allowed to court your niece, Celestia."

"Yes I do remember that, and I apologize profusely for forcing the issue, but Cadence has been desperate to find a stallion with Sterling's...expertise in historic literature, and he is the only one I know of a distinguished family and sufficient rank that fits those requirements."

Broadlance knew that his idiot son would get involved in this mess somehow. With a union between him and any royal figure, the whole country could be in danger of him trying to take it over. He didn't want to demonize or jail Sterling, he was family after all, but the colt had to learn when too much was too much and give up on his crazy ideas of world domination. This was certainly not going to help things very much.

"...Well...I guess don't worry about it too much, Celestia. It was bound to happen one of these days, if what you said was how Princess Cadence feels. If she really wants a go at him...then I won't stand in the way."

"Thank you so much, Broadlance," Celestia was very grateful for his blessing, "I don't know what I would have done otherwise."

"Heck...the colt's possibly gonna marry a princess! What higher honor could there be, anyway? It's my privilege to hoof him over..."

Now that Celestia was in the clear on this whole thing, she casually commented to the old guard, "He certainly is a very stunning young stallion, Broadlance, I was almost tempted to ask you for his hoof in marriage for ME."

The alicorn laughed at her joke as Broadlance sputtered uncharacteristically, "Princess Celestia, that's my son you'd be making a pass at!"

"I'm only fooling around with you, Broadlance, you know you're the only one for me..."

"Hilarious, Celestia..." the guard tried to fume but ended up chuckling at it, "Oww, heart murmur! Oh, can't laugh like that all of the time...phew..."

"Would you like to stay for a while longer, Captain? I've got more water or other things to wet your whistle."

Broadlance stood up from his seated position on the plush, royal pillow, "Actually, I've got an officers' meeting to run in about ten minutes. Ought to get down there, you know."

"That's quite alright then, Captain, please keep me informed if anything new develops on the battlefront," she waved him off gracefully.

He, in turn, gave a salute, "Yes, Your Highness, I will most certainly not let you down!"

As he left the chambers, the aged knight couldn't help but feel nervous about the whole situation. Walking down the halls at a brisk pace, Broadlance internally scolded his son.

"...Sterling Spear...you'd better not try anything funny here..."

* * *

A/N - With the "The Enchanted Grotto" story, you can interpret it however you like. My thoughts were of a stallion happening upon a water nymph, whom he befriends, and whose short life flew by before his eyes, but like I said, it was supposed to be a little cryptic.


	4. Chapter 4

The next two weeks of Cadence's life became substantially more hectic than it usually would have been thus far. Along with all of her royal duties at the palace, she had been going on more dates with Sterling Spear, and she had also been meeting Shining Armor whenever she could in the forest, or in a private, secluded area, away from suspicious eyes.

The two stallions, not surprisingly, contrasted significantly with each other. While Sterling was driven, intense, and unflinching, Armor was much more fragile, but more forgiving of many things, and much kinder in his relationships with other ponies, at least of the times she had ever seen him converse with anypony else. She found herself unable to make a concrete decision on which one seemed more suited to the position of husband, as both had their equal share of strengths and flaws.

She loved how Sterling Spear was always so rapier-witted, and how, when his interest was piqued, those shiny emerald eyes of his would burn like a green flame as he reminisced on one of his past victories in a pointedly daunting race, or how he and a band of fellow guards had taken down a dangerous beast, capable of turning a small town into dust. He had monumental aspirations, vehemently pursuing the position of his father, the captain, and leading hundreds of guard squads to glory and notoriety, making the Equestrian Royal Guard the greatest fighting force known to ponydom.

Then again, there were some times when Cadence wondered if he was really interested in her, and his demeanor was frequently ice cold with indifference, his pinpoint focus fixed on an issue unrelated to her in any way, shape, or form. Not to mention he had an acute temper, which would set off on everypony but her it seemed. Whenever a pony would bump into him innocently, he would bite at them to watch where they were going, or if a servant at the castle had wronged Cadence, even in the slightest, most miniscule way, they wouldn't hear the end of it from him. She supposed it was his unique way of showing affection, by defending her honor and wishes, but sometimes it just seemed like he was in a foul mood and wanted to blow off some built-up steam.

Shining Armor, on the other hoof, had a wonderful demeanor. He was always genuinely respectful, though trace threads of an unjustified fear dictated many of his actions. His mannerisms, despite his nerves, were caring, kind, and always considerate of her feelings. Eventually, those same nerves would calm more and more around her, the barriers to his true self being lifted one by one, though none of his innocence had been lost in the process.

He didn't simply treat her as a princess whom he was obligated to court and accompany, as they became fast and strong friends, sharing many things that some stallions would be wary of spilling to a potential marefriend. She felt at ease to speak her mind around him, which she did at every opportunity to get him to stand up for himself more often, or more recently, to admonish him playfully on not practicing proper grooming, something he needed both for the guard and since Cadence would infinitely appreciate it. In those ways, they almost had a big sister and little brother relationship, though not as familial, and more flirtatious...at least on Cadence's end of things.

This became an uneasy eventuality for the pink alicorn, figuring out Shining Armor's true feelings for her. He was noble, friendly, and relaxed around her enough, but lately it had felt like Armor simply viewed her as a female companion, and not much else. She certainly found him attractive, when he actually freshened up every once in a while, and his compassion for her troubles warmed her heart, but did he feel the same way? He had never so much as given her any overt hint that they were more than platonic. Granted, she had never tried anything to gauge those feelings either, such as a conversation on the matter, or a hug, or a kiss, or even a pat on the back. In some ways, she was afraid to do those things, because then she might have to deal with the realization that Armor in fact did not share the same sentiments as her.

Then, there was the issue of his low rung on the great ladder of Equestrian society, and lack of fortune...but Cadence could hardly give those even second thoughts, as the colt had time and time again proven his emotional and spiritual bounties, which Cadence found irresistible, indispensable.

Between the romantic indifference of both stallions, Cadence found herself flopping unceremoniously onto her plush, pink bed in her personal chambers, blowing a sigh of great frustration. They were her best candidates. Let's face it, they were her only real candidates...and they couldn't so much as stroke a hoof through her mane passionately. She'd even take a bold grope on the flank at this point, as these two scatterbrains were about as adept at displaying their love as a raging hydra with a thorn stuck in its foot.

"Ergh..." Cadence felt it an appropriate time to let loose a cry of indignation, "THOSE BLOCKHEADS!"

There...that felt much better...

"...and who might these..."blockheads", as you have so eloquently put it, be, my dear niece?"

Cadence's attention drifted toward the cracked-open door of her chambers, the concept of "shutting" must have escaped her in this whirlwind of confusion. Consequently, her aunt Celestia happened to walk right by, hearing the loud declaration as clear as day. The younger princess just sat up in her bed as Celestia came in and, unlike her niece, closed the double doors behind her.

"Well...don't get me wrong when I tell you this, auntie. Sterling Spear is a wonderful coltfriend, but I've been noticing how...distant he is around me all of the time."

Celestia, as per her usual grace and confidence, just chuckled and gave Cadence an explanatory reply, "Oh Cadence, his father tells me that he's very reserved and shy around the opposite sex. He'll come around once he gets to know you a little better."

Such a simple answer was not incredibly satisfying to the disgruntled alicorn, but maybe there were some grains of truth in that statement. They hadn't been together for an extraordinary amount of time, and he did seem pretty uncomfortable around other mares, not including herself, though that could've been because they were eying him inappropriately, and the attention wasn't wanted.

"He does seem really tense all of the time, angered even..."

Celestia pressed on, "Angered at you, my dear?"

"That's the weird part, he tends to get angry at everypony else BUT me. For the first date or two it was sweet because those times were mostly to defend me, but he doesn't seem to have limits on his temper. He was furious at one of the cooks because there was an offensive crease IN MY LETTUCE."

The solar princess didn't have the foggiest idea that these sorts of outbursts were common. She might have to query Broadlance on his son's disposition at a later time, "Hmmm...well...let's look at it this way, he is the captain's son, and as such I'm sure there's a lot planned on his agenda. Maybe he is just getting overextended these days and is feeling weathered by the workload."

Cadence acquiesced that her aunt's statement was a very likely possibility, "I suppose... I hope he starts taking some leave soon at that rate."

"Now then," Celestia delved further now that she had answered Cadence's question, "you mentioned at least one other pony, if I'm not mistaken by your shout. Tell me, Cadence, who has captured your attention so vividly that you have neglected to tell your dear old aunt about them...hmm?"

Uh oh...that was the part that Cadence wasn't looking forward to. She had a feeling Celestia would prod her about it. She may as well not lie, since Celestia will want to meet with him, and possibly grill him with questions, so she would have to create even more lies in the process. She DID say that she'd consent to any type of pony that Cadence wanted to betroth, rich or poor, noble or peasant, though she warned her extensively of public backlash. If there was anypony that she could confide in about this, Celestia was pretty much it.

"Um...his name is..."

* * *

Sterling Spear was not often a pony to mope, but with the recent developments in his taking of the royal crown, he was not a happy camper. He may have tried, with all of his strength, to be thoughtful, or attentive, or do something for Princess Cadence that could be construed as...nice, not that he gave a hoot in either case, but he had observed her while they were together on one of their outings, and the diagnosis was looking a little bleak.

The princess had been steadily, but rapidly, losing interest in him as a romantic partner, and while he would like to tell her to shove her idealistic notions of "romance" where Celestia's sun doesn't shine, his grasp on their little principality slipped with every disturbed grimace and huff she made at his behavior. He was desperately in search of some way, with as little time and energy commitment as possible, to win some much needed brownie points with his future bride to be.

It is in this state of mind that we meet him near the barracks he calls his home away from home, kicking a nearby rock with enough force to shatter a window. Unfortunately, Armor's window was on a different side of the building, which he would've destroyed with incredible glee, so he made due with sending the pebble off into the horizon. Some sparring and workout "buddies" of his were gathered around the tense stallion, brainstorming ideas on how to help him with his current predicament.

"Alright, you chowder-heads, I'm getting awfully tired of you guys not coming up with anything good! Out with it, what else could I do to impress somepony as high and mighty as Her Majesty, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?"

A gaggle of unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies scratched their scalps, working their brains to a cobweb-clearing overtax. A minute later, a yellow pegasus with a red-orange mane and tail threw up a hoof in cheerful enthusiasm.

"Groaning Gorge, what do you have?" Sterling asked him impatiently, not in the mood for poor input.

"Duuuuuuh..." the dim pegasus drawled for a moment, his train of thought derailing fast, "maybe...you could bench press her?"

SMACK

The others cringed as Groaning Gorge was brought to the grassy ground by a painful haymaker, courtesy of a fuming Sterling Spear. He probably knocked the poor colt out cold with that one.

"Seriously? Is this ALL you guys can come up with? I ought to make mince meat out of the whole lot of you!"

As Sterling almost descended upon the remainders, all fearfully lurching back, another timid yet visible hoof shot up, this time from a dark indigo unicorn. That one hoof saved them for now as Sterling stood back, waiting for him to answer.

"Night Shade, what is YOUR idea?"

The unicorn pressed his hooves together nervously, "Um, well, you could always..." he leaned back carefully, not wanting to suffer Groaning's fate, "...get her flowers...OH SWEET CELESTIA, SPARE ME, STERLING!"

The colt cowardly bowed low to stay the coffee-colored pegasus' wrath. Sterling, on the other hoof, stayed in place, pondering over the suggestion pensively.

"...Get her flowers...of course! It's so simple! Mares love that kind of frilly, dainty nonsense!"

Sterling took a few steps toward Night Shade, the rest of the crowd dissipating promptly as they would rather not be around when Sterling pounded on him.

"Excellent work, Night Shade! For this, I will spare your miserable life just this once!"

Night Shade gulped. Somehow, the venom-laced sentiment failed to comfort him.

"Since you seem to be the only pony here with half a brain, I'll leave it to you to procure the items necessary. Be quick about it, Shade, or I might have to take back your protection."

While Sterling stood there, waiting for the unicorn to return, Night Shade was off like a rocket. He would've panicked had he not already had the perfect place to get some beautiful roses from. He would go over quickly and visit Shining Armor, who had a proverbial arboretum in his dorm, full of various exotic species of plant, including the targeted specimen.

Once he went all the way over to another section of the barracks, he trotted briskly to the door that he knew was Armor's, knocking on it fiercely and hoping beyond hope that the other unicorn was home.

"Hello, HELLO, Armor! For the love of all things pony open the door!"

Within a brief, yet all too long to the frightened unicorn, few moments, a click resounded from the door, swinging open slowly and revealing none other than Shining Armor himself.

"Well, hello, Night Shade! Isn't it an exquisite day?" the blissful Armor used a hoof to demonstrate the sky above.

"Yeah yeah yeah, peachy!" Night Shade rambled with hurried sarcasm, "Armor, old buddy, old pal," he put his hooves together to beseech the stallion, "I need some red roses, badly, right now!"

Armor was taken aback by the unusual display of floral need. Not many soldiers he knew were as fond of gardening as he was. He gave Shade a bright, beaming smile, more than capable of providing for his request.

"Wow, Night Shade, I wouldn't have thought of you being a gardener! Looking to start in the rose business right away, are we?"

Shade's eyes shifted from side to side, his conspicuousness lost on the naive knight in front of him, "Uh...yeah, that's it...a business..."

Armor was only too giddy to give up a great bunch of the flowers to his fellow guard. He skipped lightly the entire way through, much to the disdain of a frantic indigo pony. Finally, after forever and a day, Armor came through the door with a dozen red, perfect roses, which Night Shade all but snatched from his hooves and hit the ground running.

"Bye Night Shade!" Armor yelled jovially and waved, "Let me know how the business pans out sometime!"

Night Shade turned another corner just in time to see a smugly smirking Sterling, pleased with the young unicorn stallion for his brevity.

"Good job, Shade. You're free to go...for now..."

Sterling grabbed the flowers in his own hooves from Night Shade, who wasted not even one second high-tailing it out of the area and locking himself back in his own room.

The cunning pegasus sniffed his prize, relishing in another completed step to his totalitarian rule over the ponies of Equestria. All he had to do now was bring this bunch to the princess, and she'd be putty in his hooves. Nothing could soil this perfect day now. He chortled evilly as he made his way to the palace for his big surprise for Cadence.

* * *

"Honorable Son of the Captain!"

Sterling Spear listened to that line numerous times as servants lined the hallways he was currently treading in order to bring his bouquet of roses to Princess Cadence. They all bowed down when they spoke it too, which Sterling got a sick thrill out of every time, though, in response, he only grunted or shouted, "Carry on!" He was going to absolutely adore being the tyrannical hoof of this land, where he would gain even more satisfaction from the ponies' hails of praise, and cries for mercy from those who would dare cross him. Of course, those days were still far off, as he must first marry the princess. Then, he will have greater access and abilities to eventually thwart and overthrow Princess Celestia herself, which was, in itself, a long way down the line. Patience and diligence were virtues he would most definitely need to utilize before anything of that magnitude was within reach.

For now, he was content with the smaller victories within his grasp, one of which would soon be charming Princess Cadence and bringing him more solidly into her favor. Now was his chance, as he neared the gaudy, disgusting, pink oak doors of his soon-to-be fiancee. He almost heaved bile at the sight. When he was Prince...King...GOD of Equestria, this was a pastel color that would be wiped from the color spectrum for eternity.

Before he got to the doors, he made sure to put on the most suave facial expression he could. Couldn't have the deathly serious look when he presented his gift now could he. He took a deep breath, stopping in front of the awfully-colored portal, and raised a hoof to strike it, which he hoped would put a dent in the atrocious thing.

He immediately stayed his hoof, touching the door but not knocking. Somepony was in there, two someponies if his ears did not betray him. They sounded, for all intents and purposes, like Princess Celestia, and her niece, his "love"...blech...Cadence. They were discussing something very lively at the moment. Probably gossiping about some male supermodel or other girlish frivolity, as he assumed. He was about to turn around and bring the roses back another time, needing to find a vase quickly, when something unbelievable caught his ears and jerked them back over to the door. Princess Cadence's voice cut through the door like a butcher knife.

"Oh, Aunt Celestia, he's so...caring, and loveable, and his clarinet playing is simply melodious!"

What's this now? Princess Cadence has another possible suitor in mind? Surely it couldn't be him she was referring to, as he didn't give horse-apples about anything she would be into, and a rattlesnake was significantly more loveable, and what kind of dweeb plays a clarinet? It must've been one of those nobleponies she had most likely met at some philanthropic charity event or symphony concert.

A spark of blind-sided anger crossed Sterling's brain before he quelled the feeling. Take it easy, Sterling! It's just one more rival on your inevitable road to greatness! If only he could ascertain the name of said stallion, then he'd be able to make the pitiful lord run screaming for his mother, never to be seen again.

"He sounds absolutely wonderful, Cadence Dear! Please, tell me, what was his name again?"

If there was one time Sterling actually ever thought he'd thank Celestia for anything, it would have to be for that question. His ears melded to the pink door as he awaited her response with bated breath.

"Oh, his name...Shining Armor."

Sterling would have laughed with crude hilarity had his blood vessels not been standing on end inside of his body. That cad, Shining Armor, the tree-hugging, live-and-let-live, spineless excuse for flesh and bone was the second candidate for Princess Cadence's affections? That had to be so impossible on so many levels that it was disastrously ridiculous! However, there it was, straight from the pony's mouth, Cadence was head over hooves for Shining Armor, the very pony whom Sterling could cream with his four hooves tied up.

The warrior choked back a primal roar of fury, and willed, with all of his might, his wings from snapping out aggressively, lest either make too much noise in the near silent halls. He barreled through them with as high of velocity as he could at a level of noise that would not be audible, the roses tossed away and forgotten. Once he had gone a safe distance from the two princesses, he couldn't run fast enough to quench the thirst to maim, crush, and break.

Outside, he threw out his wings, aching from the rush of rage-induced adrenaline and launched out toward the sky, and in the direction of the barracks, where he would find Shining Armor, or wait for him to return. For a beating this crucial, Sterling would wait for a century to wallop the insufferable unicorn.

He would make sure that today, Shining Armor, that low-life scum, would pay for getting fresh with the princess, and for standing in the way of his inevitable objective.

* * *

Shining Armor's day was going pretty well. His ritual forest trip had been a comforting, cleansing time. His cardinal friend whom he had helped a few weeks ago was now healed. She visited the area and, subsequently, her unicorn savior as a sign of thanks. He took care of the marvelous grotto, along with some other woodland plants and animals that he would happen upon. It was never a chore, and always a privilege.

After all was said and done in the woods, Armor had returned to his dormitory, where he noticed that his roommate was out for the afternoon, probably going out to do...tough unicorn things, he guessed.

Now that nopony was around to complain about the loudness of his music or try to take his instrument from him, Armor decided that now would be the perfect opportunity to brush up on some clarinet exercises. He searched for its case, hidden away in case of probable vandalism, inside his closet. The musically inclined Armor found the small black case almost instantly, having done a good job of keeping it safe from his fellow soldiers.

He smiled in anticipation, picking it up with his magic and setting it out on a table to be assembled. Like most of Armor's worldly possessions, which were few and far between, this clarinet was quite special, not just for its tone quality or how it felt in his hooves or magic grasp to play the instrument, but because it had been given to him as a gesture of love from his mother, who used to play for the Canterlot Clarinet Trio, that has since disbanded for its members to pursue other endeavors. It always reminded him of her whenever he felt lonely, or lost, which he did oftentimes feel, living away from home in the barracks. He would play with her presence in mind, maternal and supportive, and his heartache would be appeased by its smooth melody.

He had performed for his new friend, Princess Cadence, once when she asked him numerous times to give her a little concert in the forest. She seemed quite pleased with his abilities, clapping her hooves together after a song, to which his under-confidence would get the better of him, making him want to shrink out of sight. She praised his talent, gently letting him know that he didn't need to feel so tense while he played, which would probably end up only improving his polished technique.

Cadence was definitely a wonderful mare, and great friend. She had come by to see him many times in the last two weeks, and he was grateful for the company. Truth be told, the only filly Shining Armor had ever not been awkward around was his little sister, Twilight, of whom he would enthusiastically spend time with every chance that he got. If she ever needed him at home, he was always there, and would drop whatever unimportant thing he was doing to give her his undivided attention. Even his uptight father had to admit that he'd make an excellent dad if he ever had his own children.

Though, that was the catch to having foals. Armor was irrevocably shy around mares, especially females as ravishing as Cadence, a princess used to upholding a certain standard of beauty, and expecting it in potential mates. Sure, she was approachable enough without being too picky or demanding, but he still had minor internal struggles completely letting his mane down around her. He was a lowly private, and she...well, she deserved a higher order of coltfriend, or prospective husband. He was perfectly content, or so he thought, being good friends with the pink alicorn, and that was that.

With his clarinet finally put together, his musings making him take the process slower than usual, doubts concerning that last thought seeped into his consciousness, but he wrung them out. Armor wanted his friend to be as happy as possible. Her desires mirrored his need to help her fulfill them. She had taken him for what he was, and she accepted him wholeheartedly. For that kindness, he would repay her in any way he knew how, and one of those ways was to keep her at foreleg's length, and not succumb to his latent, unfamiliar passions.

Armor was just about ready to blow a note through his clarinet when he spotted something odd outside of his dorm window. There was a black and brown dot in the distance, contrasting with the pale orange and pink of the setting sun. It looked like it was growing at consistent intervals, coming from the Canterlot castle, a good distance away. Armor's brow furrowed in confusion as it took on a pony shape.

He decided his clarinet practice could wait a few more minutes, and safely set his precious instrument back on its case. He headed over to the doorway to the outside, wondering what in Equestria was headed straight for the barracks. As he opened the door and stepped out, the blur had become even more visible as a pony. In fact, if Armor squinted just right, and wasn't mistaken, he could've sworn that Sterling Spear was headed his way. His query was affirmed, and fear spiked, as the voice of said stallion cut through the mid-evening calm.

"SHINING ARMOR!"

It was clear now who Sterling was after, but before he could react and barricade himself inside his room, a swift, light brown hoof connected on Armor's jaw, rattling his head with enough force to sprain his neck, and knocking him into his shut door with a slam. The disorientation would prove troublesome as a furious Sterling Spear, wings out and everything, peeled Armor out of his door and threw his body to the ground roughly.

"W...what's the matter with you, Sterling Spear? What did I do this time?"

Sterling was in no mood to answer the question just yet. He started punching Armor as hard as he could across his face and stomach. This time, it wasn't just his casual, "rough Armor up everyday" routine. Sterling was enraged beyond many things Armor had ever seen from the pegasus. Every hoof-fall felt like it was blistering and cracking the poor pony's skin and bones, each strike precise, hateful, and livid.

Armor's shouts of agony at the fearsome assault caught the attention of some other soldiers still in their rooms, turning on lights and peering out onto the porch where the unicorn was getting hammered by the captain's son. Armor cried for their merciful help as he was battered, but the wide-eyed stares of the guards showed no intention of trying to stop the locomotive that was the powerful alpha male of the barracks. Instead, they simply ignored the scene, though not without horribly guilty looks on their faces at the sight, turning off their lights and minding their own business.

Eventually, a heavily-breathing, sweaty, feral Sterling planted his front hooves on either side of Armor's head hard enough to indent the ground. Armor coughed up blood, squirming in pain and shaking at the freezing stare the captain's colt gave him. Sterling lowered his face over Armor's earlobe, close enough to whisper in his ear so that no other pony could hear the grave threat.

"I know what you've been doing with the princess, getting all friendly and thinking you've got a chance with her, and I'm here to put an end to it. Let's get one thing straight, you mongrel! Princess Cadence is going to be my wife, not yours, do you hear me? MINE! If you so much as wave to her ever again, and I hear about it...I will kill you!"

Sterling Spear fled the scene of the crime after giving Armor's side a swift, torturous kick, and growling at him territorially. The prone unicorn could only tear up at the throbbing screams his nerves gave off, all the while trying to process what Sterling Spear was talking about.

This was all about Princess Cadence? Why the heck did Sterling have to beat him up because of her? He already knew how unsuitable he was for Cadence's romantic interests. He had already stuck by the idea that they were to be friends, simply that, and nothing more. He had never even remembered doing anything out of the ordinary that might give Cadence a hint that he wanted to take her as his marefriend, as had been intended to keep her away. He knew he was scum under her hoof, and that she would never be content with a stallion as unambitious in leadership or finance and incapable of providing for her comfortable lifestyle as he was. Being her friend was about all that he could ever hope to deserve.

Sterling, on the other hoof, while not a noblepony, still rode on the coattails of his family's reputation, most notably because of his decorated captain father, which would be much more sufficient for a mare of Cadence's stature. He was a much better protector and provider than Shining Armor felt he could ever be, and would have the power and confidence to cast down all who would dare threaten the princesses or their ponies. The unicorn felt that Sterling, himself, deserved a beautiful mare to sit by his side while they governed the principality of Equestria together.

The enraged look in the pegasus' eyes, now that he thought about it, had shown Armor the depths of Sterling's feelings for the princess, quite strong, maybe even to the point of love, and Armor had upset him by carelessly getting in the way. Armor admonished himself for his own selfishness. Sterling Spear had been so angry, volatile, and restless for so long in his life, the pressures of personal and public expectation probably overloading him, and now, he had a chance at true happiness, the hoof in marriage of a princess, and the privilege of co-ruling one of the greatest countries in the world, and Armor just had to mess it all up for him.

Armor's thoughts were only briefly interrupted by an earth pony mare in the guard that had been watching through one of the windows. She had, surprisingly, come out to help the disheveled stallion to his hooves, as he could hardly even move a muscle after the pounding.

"Oh...Armor, I'm sorry I didn't come out sooner," her crestfallen gaze settling on the unicorn's eyes, "I just didn't want to get caught up in the scuffle..."

Armor just harshly chuckled through his teeth, "Don't worry about it one bit. I'll be fine after some rest in my room..."

"NO!" the thought of abandoning him in his room was one she would never live down, "I have to take you to the medic, Armor, you're severely bruised!"

"...Ok..." Armor made no objection. He had already upset one pony today, he wasn't going to do it to another.

She gingerly hauled him up on his legs, making sure he could stand long enough to be supported by her body. He was heavy compared to her, but she was still in better condition than the gentle knight who had been beaten to a bloody pulp.

"Thank you, Pearl..." he sighed in great pain, though thankful for her assistance.

"Shhh, you need to rest, don't talk so much. You're welcome though."

Shining Armor walked with Pearl supporting him as he recapitulated on his evening thoughts. Sterling was evidently madly in love with Princess Cadence, that much was implied by his actions tonight. Armor thought Sterling was a fine fit for the princess, despite his own displeasure at Sterling's constant harassment. It seemed, though, that Sterling was insecure about his ability to impress the royal pony, if wailing on every other one of her potential coltfriends was any indication. The unicorn never saw himself as much of a ladies' stallion, but he would get compliments from fillies and mares, mostly his own family and friends, of how they liked his caring nature, something which Sterling could pointedly lack when he wasn't in great spirits.

He could help Sterling in his quest to court Cadence! It was a win-win situation! Sterling would be much happier with the one he loves sharing the same feelings, and Cadence would have the proper husband she deserves! Shining Armor would be honored to instill such peace and harmony in two souls that he wished joyful lives for! The very thought lifted his breaking mood considerably.

"I bet if Sterling Spear were to have Cadence as his bride," Armor mused silently, wanting to keep his foolproof plan a secret from the guard mare helping him to the medical station, "He would finally quit being such a grumpy, grouchy stick-in-the-mud..."


	5. Chapter 5

"I wonder what the old fart wants this time?..."

Unfazed by the gruff exclamations and cries of battle assaulting his ears on either side, a nonchalant Sterling Spear shuffled with purposefully slow steps on the brown linoleum floor tiles lining the hallways of the revered Canterlot Royal Guard Academy. Various, uniform wooden doors with differing numbers stood on both walls, where within battles were simulated, training rooms occupied, and exercises performed to the strenuous standards of Sterling's father, the captain, as well as the headmaster of this school. Otherwise, the walls took on a barren whitewash, indicating years of thwarted vandalism and a peeling paint job that should have been dealt with decades ago.

Sterling snorted derisively at the disrepair, "Even after all of these years, the place still looks like a trash heap."

Of course, said trash heap had been Captain Broadlance's, and by extension his son's, bread and butter ever since the aging veteran was deemed no longer fit for battle, a lifetime of wounds, aches, and broken bones had whittled him away to a physical shell of his former self. Fortunately, for his entire family, Broadlance had not been too proud to take the helm at the academy, where he would, no doubt, be reminded every day how old he was becoming, faced with the pert, sleek bodies of the students at his school, free of wrinkles, scars, and more capable of fighting for the country that he would give his life for. He sucked it up that he was getting along in age, and replaced his emasculation with a new pride in training, and administrating, the finest army in Equestria.

It was this highly dedicated and exalted pegasus that Sterling was currently dragging his hooves to meet with. Usually, the captain just left Sterling Spear to his own devices, far beyond the point of hope for reforming his son into a gentlecolt, or at least reforming him out of his sociopathy. If his father had summoned him into his office, during work hours, then Sterling Spear knew that he had some problem with him, or was going to get his ear chewed off for something he had allegedly done.

As the sandy colt crossed over each noisy doorway to the very end of the hall, he stopped abruptly in front of two large, equally uninteresting, pine doors, giving their presence a flimsy huff. He raised a hoof and struck the door with an inappropriate amount of force, then waited for his host to open the portal. A light creak, somewhat annoying, emanated from the old doors as a white pony head peeked out from them.

"Oh, Sterling," the inconvenience on Broadlance's features was tangible as he regarded his flesh and blood, "come on in..."

A silent poker face masked the young stallion's distaste for his father's curt greeting. He made his way into the office, closing the door behind what would no doubt be a storm of accusations and complaints.

The captain's office was the epitome of coziness, which he hoped would instill a sense of invitation, rather than intimidation, in those who would be visiting it, typically Princess Celestia or one of his peers, high ranking officials in their own right. The furniture consisted of detailed, woodsy pieces, giving off the impression of traveling back a few hundred years with the antiquity, like stepping into a little study from an old mansion. Potted plants and flowers lined the room, sitting atop bookshelves, full of tomes of military interest, the captain's own desk, and sometimes nothing at all, being pieces of the environment in themselves, instead of simply ornaments.

"Better sit down, son," the old pony gestured sternly to one of the comfortable looking seats across from his own, "we've got some things to talk about."

Sterling did as his father asked, plopping down into the chair to his right. It was surprisingly comfortable. The captain must have reupholstered them lately, which would explain where the academy's funding was being squandered. He would have marveled at the luxury, had he entered the office of anypony else. As it was, Sterling was not in the mood for idle chitchat or games of politeness.

"So...my dear, OLD sire," Sterling had a penchant for jabbing his father with detached insults, "To what do I owe this...pleasure?" Sterling coughed in sarcasm.

"You watch your muzzle here, you little brat," Broadlance was adept at suppressing his anger around the colt, giving Sterling a similarly cold gaze, but would tolerate no nonsense, "I think you know exactly why I brought you here."

The mischievous pegasus innocently shrugged his shoulders in mock offense, speaking with a noticeably disrespectful edge, "Why, father, I have absolutely no idea what you are insinuating! I am insulted."

The captain gave an exasperated sigh. It was like this every time they talked. He would broach an important subject, typically about Sterling's crude behavior, and the colt, per his usual controlling nature, would make Broadlance spell everything out to him, even though he was fully aware that he created trouble wherever he went, "Alright, son, if you want to play it that way, a little birdie told me that you have recently began courting Princess Cadence, is this true?"

Broadlance may have given in first, but he wouldn't go down in this verbal tussle without making Sterling answer at least a question or two.

Some of Sterling's long hair had spilled over an eye, as he tossed it back he made an intentionally disdainful face, "If you can mistake the princess prattling on about the dullest excuses for topics in Equestria, and me shaking my head and saying "mm hmm" as "courting"...then I suppose you have hit the nail on the head, Old Stallion."

Unless it pertained to him, himself, and nothing but...himself, Sterling Spear just thought everything else was one big joke.

"You know, Sterling, back in my day, soldiers and stallions respected and treasured mares, especially royalty, and didn't insult them behind their backs as you are now," Broadlance's eyebrows scrunched at the other pegasus, daring him to speak ill of the princess again.

"No, they just perved and preyed upon them like a certain white, pegasus guard, excuse me, FORMER guard, I'm staring at right now used to, and probably still does," the youngster bitterly struck at a sore point in the captain's heart.

"Don't bring your mother into this, Sterling! She was plenty mature enough to make that decision on her own!"

Sterling took his small victory over the emotions of his father and ran with it as fast as he could, "She was twenty years younger than you, and you just couldn't help yourself, admit it, Captain. The mares do love a stallion in uniform, don't they?"

"Why you little..." Broadlance was slowly losing his control, as his wife, while gone, held a special place with him, "Your mother is the reason you're even here to bad-mouth the both of us! You owe her a lot more than you obviously care about!"

Sterling's bitter face had been replaced by a cool grin. It was not often that he could goad his father into a boiling frenzy, but his coal black eyes were singed with fervor. He quipped with playful malice, "Not as much as you owed her after she left. Looks like the party died down after she couldn't snuggle you at night without being reminded of a furry, withered tarp."

Somehow, Sterling could only watch with mild fascination as his father lunged across his desk at the colt, putting up a hoof as if he were about to try to hit him, but the last bits of Broadlance's control were screaming at him to stay his hoof. The more visible veins in the stretched skin of his face were standing, and he had a furious, indignant look in his eyes, offended greatly by his own son's never-shutting pie hole. He couldn't give in though. It was what Sterling would want, to watch him lose every ounce of stability and degrade himself into the likeness of a savage. With the captain's rhythmic, laborious breaths in his face, Sterling continued to figuratively lean into him tauntingly.

"Go ahead, father dear, hit me... Must make you feel like a really big stallion to punch ponies who don't kiss your flank like you want them to."

Tremors wracked the elder body of the pegasus. He moved to strike, but at the last moment turned around to smash his hoof into his desk so hard that it would certainly need to be repaired and refinished in the area of impact. Broadlance closed his eyes, examining the sore hoof with his opposite, taking deep, soothing breaths to dull the rapid anger spike. If there was one thing he regretted, it was getting caught up in Sterling's silly little head games.

He turned around, substantially more calm than he had been a moment ago, and pressed into his son with his stare, "Should've reminded myself sooner that you aren't worth the trouble..."

Nevertheless, the captain tromped back around his desk to relieve some of the dull throbs. He sat back down in his chair and continued, "Besides, if you want the honest truth, your mother left me because she couldn't handle the pressure of raising our little devil, which I still cannot blame her for even a little..."

Sterling was disappointed that he hadn't been able to make the old stallion crack, and he knew exactly who he was referring to with his snide remark. In response, Sterling became exceedingly uninterested in overstaying his welcome, leaning forward in his seat, "Let's get to the point, then, I don't have all day to trade insults with the likes of you, father. What's so horrendous about me courting the precious princess?"

The captain wasn't exactly sure how he wanted to approach the subject, but he had a clear vision as to how he felt about it, "Son, why exactly are you courting Princess Cadence?"

Sterling fidgeted in his seat restlessly. This line of questioning didn't seem to be getting him out of the room any faster, but the old stallion probably wouldn't let him go until he had given his opinion on Sterling and Cadence's courtship. Per his usual dodgy tactics, which he knew Broadlance hated, he replied, "Well, what is there to say? I love her, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"Don't give me that garbage, Sterling! You've never dated a filly unless there was something in it for you. I had those same fillies' mothers and fathers knocking down my door to tell me to get you under control, or on a leash, as some parents put it."

Broadlance stood up and paced in a small circle around his desk as he continued to grill his colt, "It wasn't just your conceited ploy for social status either. I had to bail you out by bending over backward for them when you'd get their darling daughters pregnant!"

The lecture was practically brushed off as Sterling's attention would be caught in the window, or the door he came out of, wishing for this to be over soon, "A young stallion's got needs, Captain. It's not my fault that they wanted to please the captain's son in any way possible for their own selfish motives."

Broadlance face-hoofed and griped to himself, "Why do I even bother lecturing him..."

He recovered quickly, firmly planting his fore-hooves into his desk, "Look, the point is I know that you're up to no good here. With your typically unrealistic aspirations, I'm betting that you plan on trying to usurp the princesses and rule Equestria yourself, which, unfortunately, would not be impossible after you two marry. You're stringing her along, just like you have countless mares."

Sterling's green eyes clenched slightly in a more threatening way, "Let's say, hypothetically of course, that you are correct, father. What do you plan on doing to stop me?"

For the first time since beginning his talk with the little monster, Broadlance grinned almost sadistically, a small vestige of triumph leaking through his expression, "I...will do nothing about this, Sterling..." he leaned over the desk with his own taunting posture, "The familiar patterns will repeat themselves soon enough, the princess will realize what a bastard you are and run to Princess Celestia in tears. That's when they will approach you and I for an explanation. This time, your daddy won't be saving your flank, and you WILL deal with the punishment they see fit for you to receive."

Sterling had hardly ever seen his father so confident of something in his life, a genuine, wanton smile an oddity on the captain's face. Granted, the old fart would eat every last word when Sterling put him in his grave as the ruler of Equestria.

"Is that all you had to say? I'm late for more relevant pursuits than watching you blow a gasket."

Broadlance all but shooed the colt away, "Get out of my sight...you disrespectful little cretin..."

Sterling was more than happy to oblige, standing aggressively and sauntering out of the double doors with an ear-ringing thud.

The captain leaned back and plopped into his comfy chair, trying to fan himself with one of his wings as he breathed heavily. One of these days, that youngster was going to be the death of him. As he got back to work, writing out some letters and reading the rest of the mail he had been given not too long ago, Broadlance could only hope that he was right about what would transpire, and Sterling would be seen for the fraud that he really was.

* * *

Shining Armor had no fathomable idea why he had been summoned to the palace, of all places. Being a new recruit, he had assumed that such honors were reserved for officers, nobles, and the extended royal family. Why anypony would need to see someone of his low station at the castle was a complete mystery.

His glance uncomfortably darted around the room he currently occupied, and he tossed around in his seat at a large desk that would probably have been used for a meeting, or a class. The one who had brought him here made this little visit even more of a privilege, and a shock. In front of his eyes stood the regal, graceful Princess Celestia of Equestria herself. Armor's thoughts betrayed him as he quickly flipped through the multiple scenarios that could have been the reason for this honor.

Unfortunately, none of them were positive. The unicorn imagined that the princess had brought him here because he had committed some sort of social faux pas, one that could very easily demand disciplinary action, or being thrown in prison. Though, the absence of armed guards and the offer of tea and cookies blew a great big hole through that train of logic, and similarly left him feeling the fear of the unknown. He had let his guard down plenty of times before and usually suffered for it, so he wasn't exactly enthused to have been invited.

Princess Celestia, on the other hoof, hadn't summoned Shining Armor simply to throw him into the palace dungeons. Admittedly, this was not an entirely pleasurable visit, and she had many things to discuss with the stallion who had captured her niece's attention, despite his decidedly rough appearance and inferior rank in the guard. However, she hoped that they could come to some kind of understanding, and this meeting would be as congenial as it could possibly be.

She smiled warmly at Armor as his jittery face would flash from corner to corner of the room, landing on her own eyes every few shifts of his head, bashfully turning away when he noticed her looking at him. Celestia wanted her prospective nephew-in-law to feel at home, to loosen up, which was why she had offered the refreshments and spoke as softly as she could not to frighten the poor colt. He had greeted her reverently, though with a stutter that, had Cadence not told her of his eloquent poetry readings, almost made him seem mentally handicapped. Of course, it was only natural to be scared, as the princess doesn't just visit with a subject out of the blue every day. She had given him a similar greeting and asked him a few questions about himself, his life, and his family.

"So, Shining Armor," Celestia began gently, not wanting any hint of discomfort in her own tone to shine through, "You are, my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle's brother, are you not?"

Armor could only make a short nod, feeling undeniably tense, "Y...yes, Princess Celestia, I am Twilight Sparkle's brother."

Celestia took a short sip of her own tea and laid it down without a sound on the wooden desk she sat across from Armor at, "She mentions you every once in a while in studying and practicing her magic."

"Good things, I hope, Your Highness," Armor chuckled nervously as he rubbed a foreleg, the ambiguous statement only making him more flustered.

"Well, she admires her brother very much, so I would hope that her view of you is undoubtedly positive," the princess of the sun gave him a knowing smirk, playing with him a little as he let his thoughts and feelings materialize in front of her, almost unabashedly if he didn't also seem so walled off. Surely he was not adept at hiding his insecurities.

Armor was waiting for the princess' next question, and Celestia seemed to not have realized it at first as a hollow, soundless quiet overtook the little meeting area. She quickly asked him yet another, seeing as the tight-lipped guard had little intention of continuing the conversation in his frazzled state.

"Twilight can perform many wonderful magic feats for somepony of her age. I'm curious, Shining Armor, do you similarly perform miraculous spells?"

The sun princess noted the shades of shame in the private's cheeks, his attention turning to the maple desk under them, "Actually...I never showed the same amount of promise in magic studies as my little sister...so, I guess my answer would be..." he sighed, head downcast, "no."

"Oh I'm sure that's just not true, Shining Armor," Celestia lightly hummed in amusement to lift his downtrodden opinion of himself, "Every unicorn is born with a gift, no matter how small or how worthless they think it is, and each one is very special."

As she told him those things, she used her magic to rummage around one of the desk drawers for something. She pulled out a fragile glass sphere, the size of a golf ball with a pure crystalline design, and levitated it onto the middle of the table, bringing it to rest carefully so as not to let it roll.

The young guard eyed it with interest, especially as it glowed with the reflections of the sunlight peering through the large window at their sides.

"This, my good stallion, is a device that I use every so often to discover the hidden talents and abilities of the students at the Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns. Its mechanics are simple. The glass orb will filter itself through your natural magical field around your body, picking up the traces of radiation it finds. These traces are unique in every unicorn, therefore it will be able to show me your latent abilities, and your own personal gifts."

Armor just gawked as the sphere moved closer to him, Celestia finally unleashing the contraption onto the recruit with a nudge of her power. Although a bit freaked out at first, his fears were abated as the ball casually rolled around his body, not doing any overt harm to his fur, skin, or the faint spurts that were his magic field. The sensation was cool, calm, and maybe a tad ticklish, to which Armor would giggle unceremoniously. It did a pretty thorough job as hardly an inch of his form had been untouched by the intrepid object when it finally came to a rest on the table, waiting to relay its findings to the princess of the day.

She must have had a greater attunement to communicating with the orb, because Armor could only furrow a brow, confused, as Celestia gazed into it, seeming to examine every last millimeter of the now partially glowing device, stores of the stallion's power locked within. After some scrutiny, the magenta of the sun goddess' eyes became more visible, to which Armor almost flinched.

"Oh...how could this be? I cannot seem to find much potency in this strain of magic at all," she gasped incredulously, "Maybe only enough for daily chores and tasks... I will investigate it further."

The stallion gulped as the princess' eyelids scrunched a little to get a more microscopic view of the magic inside. She turned that tiny glass ball in every which way, shook it up and down, and, as a last resort, even licked it once for good measure, smacking her lips in thought.

"Mr. Shining Armor," Celestia started, making the guard jump out of his seat at the flabbergasted tone in her voice.

"Um...yes, Princess Celestia?" He smiled, but had to wipe a hoof across his forehead at the pressure her discomforted stare put on him.

She didn't want to tell him what had been ascertained by his exam, as it was incredibly rare, and in his case...going to embarrass him greatly. She took a moment to think about what she would tell him before she blurted something they both might regret. How could she breach the subject of his...poorly endowed magical abilities, bereft of anything "unique" or "special" that she could see with the naked eye? Being a unicorn stallion in the Royal Guard, the news would be crushing, and if his peers ever found out about it, they would heckle him until the day he died. Princess Cadence certainly must not have found him attractive for his magic power, Celestia could conclude that for sure.

"...Princess?" Armor pleaded for her to answer after she had not heard him the second time.

"OH, heh heh," Princess Celestia covered the lower half of her face with a wing as she feigned a laugh, which was set in abject unease, "I'm sure that you will find your spark on your own, eventually!"

She all but tossed the small orb back into the drawer, making a glass-busting thud, to which Armor cringed.

"Now then," she was desperate to change the subject, "I would bet that you are probably still wondering why you are here, Shining Armor."

The magically-challenged unicorn was as polite as possible, as he didn't want to seem rude and upset the princess in any way, "Well...yes, actually, Princess. I would be most grateful if you could let me know."

Celestia calmed herself further and indulged his confusion, "It's about my niece, Princess Cadence..." Thinking he would catch on to her point, she just let the name die on her tongue. It could've been a slight mistake on her part.

Within seconds, Armor stood up like he had just heard an explosion, startling the princess a little with his abrupt movement, "OH NO! Is she hurt? Is she alright? We've got to go help her if we can!"

"NO NO, Shining Armor!" She quickly reassured the stallion, "Princess Cadence is just fine. Please, sit back down, if you would."

He complied as the princess mulled on what she just witnessed. Celestia made a mental check that Shining Armor was indeed very considerate if he was so ready to save somepony from harm at a moment's notice. It was even more of a bonus that the pony in question happened to be her dear niece, and that showed some quality husband potential from the colt. She traced a hoof on the desk as she introduced the main topic.

"It would seem that Princess Cadence has...taken quite a shine to you."

So, that's what this was all about. The atmosphere started to tense again as he found out that Celestia was asking him questions to determine his fitness as a royal suitor for her niece, something that Armor was hoping not to have to dwell on as he had already made his mind up on that. He didn't want to disappoint Princess Celestia, or possibly get punished if he showed unwillingness to the idea after befriending her, making it seem like he was just trying to woo her for a night and run away. He had to be honest, but choose his words carefully.

"She's..." he started, stepping lightly, "...a very enchanting mare, Princess, and I think of her as a great friend, as I would hope she does of me. However, I have to implore that I not be made an official suitor for marriage..."

It could've just been an irrational trick of the light, but Celestia's face took on a darkened tint at the request. Armor briskly continued his reasoning behind it, hoping to stay the wrath of the sun goddess.

"Please Princess, let me explain. It isn't that I don't like Cadence, far from dislike, in fact, but it's just that..." his self-defeatism broke through once again, "I'm just not right for her, not good enough. She could have anypony she wants for a husband. Why in Equestria would she want some dirty commoner like me? She deserves more than I could ever give, and would not benefit at all by being the wife of a simple bum who can hardly keep his head above water or out of the clouds."

Of course, the princess wasn't really angry with him. If he did not desire Cadence's hoof, then there wasn't much she could do about that. However, she was glad to see that the stallion was also very humble, as well as conveying his thoughts honestly and frankly, though he might have been avoiding accentuating his own charms in lieu of beating up on himself.

"Do not worry, Mr. Armor. If it is out of your ability to take on this incredible responsibility, nopony, even myself, can blame you for backing out. However, I would suggest reconsidering, as my little niece, like your own sister, has many great things to say about you. You have at least proven to them that you are worth more than you may believe."

"Well...I thank you for the compliment, Princess Celestia," Armor rubbed his hooves together bashfully.

The princess continued to ask the blue-maned unicorn a few more questions, which he tried to answer the best that he could, though this wasn't a test. In a few minutes, Shining Armor was escorted out of the room by the princess, leaving off on a nice farewell. Once Celestia had closed the door behind her, she murmured to herself one last time.

"Unfortunately for your wishes, Shining Armor, you've inadvertently solidified your own place in Cadence's heart if you continue to think of her needs first and are as kind and gentle as our meeting has shown me."

* * *

Sterling Spear couldn't be more relieved to be out of that stuffy office that smelled of his rotten father. The old stallion must have been way past his due date, and it annoyed the pegasus in more ways than one. He was itching to grab what he could of the land of Equestria, and his most logical first step to that goal would be the death of the captain, so that he could take hold of the position. The captain was much more stalwart than Sterling had thought, and with his earlier predictions that he wouldn't last long, hadn't even tried to set up an accident or assassination for him. Pretty soon, he might just be tempted to.

His thoughts were interrupted by his musings on his next plan, to be more proactive and ask the princess out on a date himself. Someone had suggested that maneuver to another pony, of whom Sterling Spear proceeded to eavesdrop on. It was a great thing, making everypony else do the coffee-colored colt's biding, even if it was unintentional. They were none the wiser, and if they were they didn't show it. It would be unhealthy to offend the captain's son by commenting on the things he did critically, even with his odd behavior. Stooping to certain espionage tactics was an inevitability when information was needed, which to Sterling was a valuable commodity indeed.

As long as he kept on buttering the princess up with these little gifts and hints of his adoration, he was confident that she would be his bride by next year at the very latest. He was still unsure, however, of how he would maintain such a laborious duty, kissing Princess Cadence's flank every day of their miserable courtship, and attending to her incessant need for physical intimacy with light touches and hugs. Honestly, why couldn't Equestria be like it was in the old days, where two noble or royal families forced their sons and daughters into marriages? It would cut out a lot of the pointless busy work that Sterling felt this entire ritual was.

With various ideas and complaints being tossed around in his head, the young pegasus was swiftly approaching his destination, the palace, where he would have to dump his pride all over the floor and be as nasty, sugary sweet as he could in order to cajole Princess Cadence into going out with him. He felt like a total loser, having to pander to the whims of those beneath him. Cadence was no exception. She may have been the princess, but by the heavens she would be scrubbing his war-cape clean and making him dinner every night soon enough, just like the only useful kind of wife and mare would.

Sterling had approached the steel gates of the Canterlot Royal Palace, his posture as he walked toward the now visible guards was that of a downright royal steed, giving those around him the impression that he was mighty, he was immortal, and he was fit for nothing less than the best.

His strut was almost blasted apart as he took sight of the meek gait of Shining Armor. That was funny, how did Armor get on the OTHER side of the doors barring passage to all but the invited or most distinguished? The feeble unicorn was neither of the aforementioned, unless he had been summoned by Princess Cadence, who he had warned Armor to stay away from for the rest of his life. Sterling's blood started to boil at the thought. That pesky colt just didn't know when to stay out of his way, did he? Sterling would have little time to pursue those burning questions as the white stallion made his way outside, where the doors were hoisted up to make way for the guest.

A light wind ruffled Shining Armor's two-toned mane as he stepped out into the relaxing breeze. The time he spent answering questions was certainly out of his comfort zone, and he had the craving to retreat back into his wooded area near the barracks once again, visiting his animal friends and keeping the forest as tidy as it could be.

He wouldn't get the chance to do much of anything though as he heard a deep, familiar voice not too far away from his spot yell to him.

"Shining Armor, I request your assistance over here on this side of the castle immediately!"

The cool, commanding voice and hard gaze of Sterling Spear would allow no objection. Though, Armor surmised, he was being a tad less threatening, and a lot less abusive. Then he remembered the guards on either side of him. Sterling did have an image to uphold in front of the rest of the world, after all. Although the violent pegasus was exactly who Shining Armor wanted to talk to about his plan for helping him win Cadence's heart, he shivered in despair at what might happen when he joined him on the other side of the palace, where nopony would be able to help him, or hear him scream.

"Well," one of the guards almost physically nudged Armor in Sterling's direction, "what are you waiting for, Rookie? The Lieutenant just gave you an order! Get over there!"

As he prodded Armor to head closer and closer, the unicorn could only hope that Sterling would listen before he leaps, and take his words seriously.

The guards resumed their posts as Armor tip-hoofed to the corner where a beating would most likely wait for him. As he rounded the corner, an almost rabid Sterling Spear hoisted Armor's body over and threw him four feet in the opposite direction, making him land on his back. Armor tried to fight the urge to yell and to push through his pain as Sterling hovered dangerously close to his prone body.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't destroy you and your entire family, Shining Armor," the enraged pony inched his way menacingly toward his prey.

Armor's teeth chattered in involuntary fear, but he willed himself to speak up, "No Sterling, I've got a plan, a great plan!"

The pegasus just laughed madly, "I've got a perfectly worthwhile plan right here, to kill you and make an ursa-minor meal out of your carcass!"

Sterling raised a hoof, intent on slamming it into Armor's head as hard as possible for anypony to hit someone. The unicorn put his hooves up in defense and drove the words he wanted to say through his lips as the hoof took on a collision course for his face.

"I can help you get Princess Cadence's hoof in marriage!"

Armor's eyes were wrenched shut in preparation for a face-reconstructing blow, so he couldn't see the glint of raw bewilderment in his attacker's green irises. The punch never connected, a fact that Shining Armor would still be thankful for years later. In fact, Armor's whole face expanded from its scrunched up, defensive mold as he felt himself being lifted roughly to his hooves and pushed up against a wall. It wasn't the bone-rattling shove he was more accustomed to, just a light yet firm threat of further turmoil should he resist, which was definitely not something the captain's son afforded him very often.

"What do you mean by "help", Armor?"

The intrigue present in Sterling's body language was a good sign, though another pressing problem needed to be solved first.

"Could you (ack) let go of my throat first, please?"

The pegasus only now realized that his hoof was firmly planted in the base of Armor's chin. He conceded to his nemesis' request, letting up only enough to give him some breathing space, which he thankfully heaved in.

"Now answer my question, Armor! What do you mean by "help"?"

The heavily breathing unicorn, in gratitude, was much more talkative now that his windpipe wasn't being constricted, "Remember that time, a few days ago, when you told me to stay away from the princess?"

Sterling just scowled at the stallion, though was still morbidly curious as to what might spew out of Shining Armor's worthless mouth, "Yes, go on!"

Although this moment was not an incredibly appropriate time for Shining Armor to space out too much, he recollected on the look in Sterling's eyes as he beat him up that night, completely mistaking his blind fury for passion toward the beautiful mare.

"You must really be in love with Princess Cadence, aren't you?"

The fellow soldier sneered at the very notion, "Love? What the heck are you..."

He faltered for a moment as he stopped the statement from coming out. Shining Armor thought he was in love with the princess? This could work to his advantage, if played right. The knave had hardly any idea how Sterling really felt about the princess, which was about as highly as he felt for any bug under his hooves. Armor also had the aptitude for all of that touchy, feely, girly hogwash that Cadence would read about in her romance novels, or observe in one of those awful musical stage-plays, the kind that the captain's son vowed to forever lack. This spineless waste of oxygen, for once in his life, might be the key to Sterling Spear's imminent rise to power!

"Oh...OH," Sterling made a mock show of some profound epiphany at the private's words, "Oh but of course, Shining Armor," he began to sigh wistfully as he got into his phony character, "I love Cadence more than Celestia's sun in the sky, more than all of the gold, jewels, and valuables in the Royal Treasury, more than life itself!"

He was starting to ham it up just a little too much, so he immediately coughed to tone down what might seem incredibly insincere. The sarcastic act, and the wide, innocent eyes that Sterling gave Armor must have at least fooled him, because Shining Armor had that peaceful look on his face that Sterling always took for being...a little smug, if he thought on it hard enough. Armor was probably saying something to himself like, "I'm so glad you've finally released your inner feelings," to which the pegasus could've heaved in revolt.

"Oh Sterling, how long has it been...since you discovered this?"

The sandy stallion would've laughed his head off at the creepy grin Armor was giving him if this wasn't such a pivotal point in his plan. He already had some prefabricated lines to feed the dumb tree-hugger as an unfortunate witness to one of Cadence's beloved plays.

"(Sigh)...I've admired Princess Cadence from afar for...most of my life," Sterling closed his eyes in fake remembrance, "The entire reason I became a royal guard was not because of my father or country, but for her. My biggest fantasy is to become her personal bodyguard, so that I may be by her side forever, and protect not only the pony I love, but the heart that resides within..."

Cue the upchuck...

"That...is...so lovely, Sterling!" Armor was practically putty in the colt's hooves as he shed masculine tears of joy for the devoted sentiment. If Sterling didn't still have his stomach painfully pinned to the wall, he would've reached out to embrace the wonderful budding poet in front of him.

This idiot was for real, wasn't he? Sterling couldn't believe that Armor would fall for something so cheezy, and be blubbering like a foal in the process. Manipulating the sad sap to his will was a feat that would be far too easy for the lieutenant. Sterling faced Armor again, this time with earnest adoration for his princess in his eyes. Gripping Armor, instead of around the stomach, around the forelegs as he kicked the freaky moment up a notch.

"You don't understand, Armor! You don't understand how long I've pined for Cadence!" He was all but shaking Armor's shoulders as hard as he could, which would probably give the stallion a case of whiplash, or so Sterling hoped. Armor was just along for the ride as he peered into Sterling's eyes with tears in his own, sniffling sympathetically.

"She's everything to me! I can't live without being able to hold her in my forelegs," Sterling demonstrated on Armor by embracing his forelegs in his own, a little roughly as old habits die hard, and the captain's son just couldn't resist any chance to cause Armor pain. Armor was too wrapped up in such a rare treat as to see Sterling bare his soul to give much of a hoot. "...to be able to softly stroke her graceful mane," Sterling put a hoof through Armor's scraggly mane and gave it a sharp yank as he pushed it against the wall. Armor continued to chalk it up to the heat of the moment as he yelped. "...to give her some passionate love bites..."

Armor was fine with the other stuff if it helped the colt through his issues, but this was where he eventually had to draw the line, "OKAY OKAY, I get it, Sterling, no biting, no biting!"

Satisfied with the cries of pain and having brought Armor to his side of things, Sterling abruptly let go of him, making him land ungracefully to the grassy floor below. The pegasus continued, sort of, where he left off before.

"So you see, Shining Armor, those are the depths to which I adore Princess Cadence," he put a hoof over his heart to show his longing.

The unicorn coughed as he got back onto his hooves and responded, "That's terrific!"

Sterling stood over him and grabbed his face in both of his hooves, degrading himself to implore the white pony, "but I can't win her love without your help, Armor. I am so unemotional, so unable to express my true feelings to her. Every time I meet with her, my tongue swells up and I take out my unbearable stress on the hired help. With you at my side, we are a combination that is unbeatable, I with my strength, handsomeness, and overall perfection, and you with your...um...sensitivity... Yes, we undoubtedly cannot fail!"

Shining Armor, pumped up by his long-time abuser's proclamation, and simultaneously finding some sort of common ground in their clashing personalities, launched off of the ground with renewed vigor and gave him a hoof to shake, "Together, we'll make sure that you are the one Princess Cadence looks for above everypony else!"

The coffee-colored stallion was genuinely taken aback somewhat by the bold, cartoonish flame in the unicorn's cerulean eyes. Good thing he was still so much stronger, and a little larger. If Armor started hitting the gym more, he would have to watch out for him with that kind of determination boring a hole through Sterling.

He gave Armor the most real smile he could while smirking maliciously inside his head, cackling to himself at the steadily nearing triumph over the denizens of Equestria, and his ascension to godliness.

"Together!" Sterling pounded the hoof of his new minion with agonizing force, sealing the fate of any who would stand in their way.

* * *

A/N - I would like to take a moment to suggest a story that I have been following by NocturneD named "Forbidden Fruit". It is a different take on the fairy-tale marriage of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Cadence, disillusioned with her new husband, Shining Armor, and caught in a moment of weakness and drunken passion with Big MacIntosh, inadvertently destroys the idyllic notion of "happily ever after" as the scandal is posted all over Equestria, and the couples' problems, as well as their own, become the battlegrounds for mistrust, bitterness, and outright rage. It also takes a look at pieces of the aftermath in a more realistic fashion, coping with it and repairing one's reputation when it looks unrepairable. Go ahead and check out this, and his other stories too. Thanks a lot everyone.


	6. Chapter 6 The Dinner Date, Part One

A/N - This will be part one of a two-part scene, since it's pretty long, and I didn't want to cram it into a huge, disproportionate chapter.

* * *

Shining Armor levitated a black comb from its little, decorative table over to him and drew the toothed object through voluminous strands of the onyx mane of a tense Sterling Spear. He tried his very best not to mess up the new hairdo the pegasus would be showing off to his bride-soon-to-be, a slightly altered version of his usual style, but a little more airy, bright looking, and one that Cadence would hopefully find quite alluring when the time came. However, this also meant being on the look out for the annoying tangles that Sterling always somehow was able to get, which was difficult for Armor to pull off. He would be well informed by his partner-in-crime whenever he did hit a snag, such as just now.

"ACK! Armor, I swear to Celestia" -he turned and stomped a hoof as he felt the sharp pain- "I am going to break your legs if you pull on my hair again! Why in the world did I let you style it in the first place?"

The unicorn just tutted him lightly. "Sterling, this is something you have do if you want to get on Princess Cadence's good side again. I'll try to be more careful, but I'm just trying to help you out, okay?"

Even though Sterling let the stallion get back to assaulting his scalp, he wasn't very quiet about it as he snorted and continued, "Just like you were trying to help me out with this suit? I look like a buffoon! Only stuffy, uptight dorks wear stuff like this!"

As Armor gingerly worked the brush through the thick hairs, he gave some of his concentration to the captain's son to answer him. "You look great, Sterling. I'm sure there won't be one mare in the entire room who isn't completely jealous of Cadence when they see you in this."

Indeed there wouldn't, as Shining Armor had hoof-picked the outfit for him, based on Cadence's preferences in male attire and the limited things he knew about fashion. Most of these little pieces of information had been picked up from the pink alicorn herself in some of their casual conversations, and Armor listened intently to every word, which would be to his advantage now.

A basic, but dressy, suit design had been agreed upon, but livened up with some color and pizazz. They had decided to make the jacket black, since any other color seemed too vibrant and open on the otherwise mysterious, reserved pegasus. Armor also noted one of the most basic properties of the color that Cadence had imparted to him, black was typically very slimming, and while Sterling was toned and hard-bodied enough for anything, it didn't hurt to be safe, just in case. The one element that Armor had wanted to emphasize more than anything was the stallion's incredibly broad chest, an idea which he had ran by the tailor, who luckily agreed with him wholeheartedly. Therefore the creases in the lapels, the undershirt fabric, and his necktie were all modified to enhance that area.

Armor also suggested making his undershirt a solid green to go with and bring out his eyes. As with everything he put by Sterling, he had hated the idea. Nevertheless, he allowed the "expert" to make such decisions, as it wasn't all that important to him to begin with. By the time it had been finished and Sterling had tried it out, the unicorn was pretty enthusiastic about the clothing, even if his comrade wasn't.

"You'd better be right about this, Armor..."

The unicorn couldn't break his concentration on brushing Sterling's mane, and thus ignored the little remark. As Sterling had no magical abilities, he couldn't very easily brush it himself. Soon, every strand was in place, and Armor smiled at his work, motioning for Sterling to take a gander in the nearby body-length mirror. Once the green irises peered disdainfully into themselves, Sterling's face took on an all too familiar scowl.

"What kind of hairdo is this? I look like some sort of fairy!"

Armor made a matter-of-fact claim as he put away the fine-toothed comb, satisfied with the result. "It's supposed to make you look more youthful and charismatic, two things I'm sure the princess will appreciate."

Sterling turned to the meek pony threateningly. "You'd better not be pulling something, Shining Armor. If I find out you've been deceiving me..."

"Sterling, STERLING," -Armor waved his hooves at the violent stallion dismissively, not but a few feet from him- "I want you and the princess to be happy together. Why would I intentionally sabotage something that is in my best interest as well as yours?"

The pegasus huffed and turned back to the mirror. "See that you don't..." Now that he looked at himself a second time, every part of his ensemble seemed to blend decently. He certainly couldn't complain about the job his minion had done. The white pony came back over only to notice the improved opinion written on the dashing colt's face.

"Like what you see?" Armor joked around as his put a hoof on Sterling's shoulder, to which the coffee-colored pony batted it away.

"Don't touch me..."

Armor wouldn't have believed it at first, but there was barely a reddish-purple smudge across the stallion's cheeks and nose as he pushed his gaze in the opposite direction. Was he actually...self-conscious for once in his life? Sterling was taking cursory looks in the direction of the full-length reflecting glass. Armor could surmise that Sterling definitely liked what he saw. Though, ponies as typically self-centered as the captain's son were also prone to narcissism, which he might have been suffering a hint of at the moment.

"Okay then," -Armor clapped his hooves excitedly after giving Sterling a bit of time to soak in his new threads- "you remember what I told you about how to approach this dinner with the princess tonight, right?"

Sterling's attention just slightly shifted over to Armor as he recited, from memory, some of the key points he had been taught, albeit with little vigor. "(Sigh)...Don't talk about war, death, famine, religion, politics, how other mares in the dining hall look, and most especially, don't lose your temper in the face of every waiter who doesn't immediately jump to your beck and call."

The unicorn turned back around to the brown colt, rewarding his uncanny memory with a purposeful grin. "Exactly, Sterling!" As he congratulated him, Armor took another few moments to adjust his suit, making sure that the dark green bow tie was horizontally straight and each button in the shirt had been mated to its matching hole to avoid an uneven appearance. Sterling shifted uncomfortably the entire time, wishing that Armor would quit fidgeting over the most insignificant details.

"You also remember the things I want you to try tonight, don't you?" Armor's face morphed into a serious expression.

Sterling couldn't believe he was making him recount everything. What did he think he was, stupid? He rambled them off with very little effort or thought on his end. "Smile, be polite, be courteous, help the lady to her seat, keep her wishes in mind, and respect her opinions and personal space!"

"My word, Sterling," the unicorn gleefully stated, "you must have a photographic memory!"

The pegasus could only shirk and roll his eyes. "It's not exactly all that hard to remember, Armor..."

Armor chuckled cheerfully at Sterling's cockiness while he put some of his other grooming tools away. "We'll see how you hold up when dinnertime rolls around..."

As the final portions of his grooming set were stashed away in their proper place, Shining Armor felt a loose knot twist in his stomach. He couldn't determine if it was nervousness at the prospect of being caught by an onlooker as Armor helped Sterling court and flirt with the princess throughout the night, or if it was another queasy pain entirely. He knew it was for the best that Cadence fall in love with the handsome, dependable stallion who could fulfill her every wish. There was no other way, but good heavens, the rough tendons tying that knot tighter around his midsection were trying to tell him something he didn't want to hear. He tried to will away the sudden burst of breathlessness by focusing on the colt in front of him, and preparing him for the big night.

"So," -the dazed unicorn hoped that Sterling hadn't heard his voice crack slightly at the pressure- "as you probably already know, Sterling, the restaurant that you two will be dining at is just down the street from the hotel here. We'll probably get going pretty soon to make sure we're early, and so that I can get set up in the appropriate place before anypony is the wiser."

Armor made sure to tidy up the room while he spoke, even though it was unnecessary since the maids would not be by until morning. He just wanted the place to look good when he came back later that night, he supposed. "I want you to practice everything I taught you on Princess Cadence, but if you hit a roadblock I'll be right where you need me for a quick line. I'll also inform you if something is...off, and make sure everything goes smoothly."

Heeding the words of the omega male, Sterling's lip curled into a half-smirk as he turned to regard his hapless stooge with a fake declaration. "I cannot thank you enough, Shining Armor, for helping me tonight. I would probably be too tense around the glorious mare to mind every step I make, and your assistance is greatly appreciated."

The unknowing pony simply beamed vibrantly, soaking in the compliment like a dry sponge. "Not at all Sterling, you're already everything a mare could want, I'm just helping you show that to the princess."

What a sap...

"Shall we head out now then?" Sterling stood tall and slightly snooty in his new suit, wanting to relish the handsome feeling for all it was worth. Although he felt kind of uncomfortable in the unfamiliar garment, he had to hoof it to Armor that his new suit made him look like the Equestrian king he knew he would soon be.

"We probably should, I guess," Armor gave the captain's son a mutually conspiratorial look, their teamwork about to receive a substantial payoff. The unicorn was already adequately dressed to get into the restaurant, though his suit was cheap and even more basic than his counterpart's. It didn't really matter to him, as he had never been one to dress up very much, and the less attention that was drawn to him tonight, the better to sneak in and out inconspicuously.

The unicorn assistant strode over to the mirror to check out his own appearance, running a small comb through his own mane that was hidden away inside his suit coat pocket. Giving a satisfied huff to himself, Armor quickly gestured to Sterling to follow him out of the hotel room they had rented for the night as a close, safe zone, should anything go wrong with the date and Armor have to hide fast. After exiting, and closing the door securely behind them, Armor and Sterling started their slow trot down the hall together.

Unfortunately, it seemed like a lot of ponies they knew had the exact same idea to rent rooms for different occasions tonight, because Armor and Sterling started getting a lot of funny looks from all too familiar faces, ones that might have the audacity to blab about their whereabouts if asked at a later time. Though the pegasus was evidently unfazed by the accusative stares, Armor was feeling some heat from all of the scrunched eyebrows and open mouths.

"Is that...Sterling Spear, the captain's son?" one of them would speak out loud, just above a whisper, but enough for Armor to catch wind of it.

"Yeah..." another colt answered the mare and observantly stipulated, "isn't that Shining Armor he's walking with?"

These ponies knew way too much for their own good, and Armor could only pretend to plaster on a fake smile that turned into a grimace as the rumors floated fiercely.

"What would the lieutenant and a private be doing renting a room together?..." the unrelenting mare asked her interlocutor.

"Hmmm..." he stroked his chin with a hoof, "I wonder..."

Shining Armor gave a disheveled gulp when the male earth pony trailed off. What exactly were those two implying anyway? Couldn't two well-dressed stallions just rent a room together, walk side by side, and be left alone? Wait, that didn't come out right! Were they trying to say that he and Sterling were...

"What's got your panties in such a bind, Armor?" Sterling nonchalantly glanced in Armor's direction when he passively noticed the unicorn swallow and sweat.

The collar of Armor's tux seemed to be choking him as he fumbled to relieve the pressure with a hoof. "Oh, nothing, just some ponies I know being a little nosy."

"I don't listen to such drivel, Shining Armor, and you shouldn't either," his staunch strides emphasizing how little he valued the opinions of gossipers. "Come on, we can't have the princess get there before us now, can we?"

"Yes...that's right," -borrowing some of the thick skin Sterling demonstrated, Armor similarly steeled himself- "let's get going."

Even with the jolt of confidence, Armor felt relief wash over him as they approached the double doors of the hotel, their ticket to fresh air and getting away from all of those stares. Sterling wasted no time in shoving one of the pearly white doors open roughly, not really caring if somepony would be hit on the other side of him. The unicorn noted that, luckily, all the door ended up colliding with was the padded stopper, which effectively and silently did its job.

As the two lady-killers took their first steps outside into the busy Canterlot streets, they were greeted by a crisp breeze, heaven against their tux-clad coats. Celestia must have been working overtime tonight, as the night sky twinkled with hundreds of little stars and the prominent moon poured soft reflections of the sun's rays over the world. Maybe the princess had been informed that her niece would be attending a romantic dinner, and thought she'd...contribute to the mood, as it were.

Lamps and other luminescent devices lined the streets, saving the citizens of Canterlot from a blinding darkness, but only shone enough to allow those little hints of mystery and intrigue that the nighttime hours brought to make themselves known. This being the more high-end district of the city, various shops, businesses, and inns stood proudly against the night sky, their windows welcoming or temporarily exiling the darkness from their depths.

Ponies of all races, ages, and intentions spilled out onto the pathways and sidewalks of the busy little district, teeming with excitement at the prospects that night life entailed. It was a time where they felt free to shed the skins they wore during the day and put on completely new ones, uninhibited, uncensored, emulating the mysteriousness of the night.

"Pretty lively out here tonight, wouldn't you say, Sterling?" Armor chuckled in amazement at the nocturnal spectacles.

The pegasus didn't share his companion's sentiment as he gave a fleeting "hmmm..." and single-mindedly headed for their objective with quick hoof-steps. The dazzled stallion, engrossed with the sights, sounds, and smells of the activity going on around him, almost didn't notice that Sterling was a quarter of the way to the fancy restaurant already.

"Hey, wait up!" Armor gave a gobsmacked look to the fast walker as he had to sprint over to keep pace. He breathed a little heavier as he finally caught up. "What's wrong, Sterling, the nightlife not your thing?"

The pegasus wouldn't say that he was impatient, but as he briskly trotted, he answered his far-too-positive fellow with a sober disposition. "I'm more concerned with making tonight a success. I don't need all of the external distractions right now."

"Oh," -the unicorn had an idea of what that meant as he knowingly hummed- "thinking about Princess Cadence, are we?"

What was it about this night that was making Shining Armor so...giddy? Was it just in his blood to be some kind of date planner? That, in itself, was highly doubtful, as his organizational skills and actual experience in the field were both a big, fat zero from what the captain's son could surmise. Sterling would never understand the ditzy environmentalist or his motives for the things he did. However, in the spirit of his little charade, he faked panic in his voice and actions.

"Well," he started, trying to find appropriate places to stutter, as if he didn't already know what he'd say, "I mean...she IS the princess, Armor! W...what if I mess up? What if I say something...I don't mean and it hurts her feelings?"

Armor took in the phony display with genuine sympathy, just as Sterling would hope. "That's why I'm here with you, Sterling," -Armor made a supportive gesture to emphasize his statement- "Princess Cadence is your muse, and I will help you interpret how greatly she inspires you. You've gotta tap into that spring of love and reveal to her the contents of your soul!"

In the torrent of sweat dripping from the sand-colored stallion's forehead, mostly from the suit and forcing it to bead through his act, one stray drop indicated his incredible feat of abstinence from knocking Armor across the face for sounding so much like a pathetic dweeb. His interest was briefly caught in the crowds of ponies crisscrossing around them, hoping that nopony had been able to hear something so disgusting directed to him.

"Um...sure, Armor...I'll do...my best," Sterling gave him one of his trademark half-smirks, though this one was more pained than usual. The things one puts up with to achieve glory...

Hoping to avoid any further conversations not involving the task at hoof with his temporary minion, Sterling climbed the short steps of the ornate eatery they had reached, the door to the restaurant within opening distance.

"Urk, hold on a moment!" Armor made sure to keep Sterling from heading in before he made a little costume...enhancement. Out of some pocket in his suit, Shining Armor had somehow produced a solid black ski-mask with a hole in the top for his horn to hide his face. He deftly slipped it over his head with a magical burst and made sure it covered every crevasse needed. He also pulled a vial of white body paint magically from another deep pocket, using the brush that conveniently came with it to quickly rub some on his flank where his cutie mark showed on either side, polishing them to a shiny, concealing sheen.

"Armor," -Sterling deadpanned when the fool stopped painting himself and smiled at the pegasus- "you look like you're going to rob a bank..."

"You think anypony would notice me now?" Armor's still visible blue eyes scanned the sides of the restaurant conspicuously.

"No, but I'm not sure if you're going to be able to enter looking like you just broke out of the Canterlot dungeons." Sterling was sparsely humored by the image his mind conjured of that very situation.

The less-than-stealthy unicorn whispered low as to try to prevent anypony from eavesdropping. "Just pretend that I'm with you! Make up some kind of excuse, and we'll be fine."

If there was one thing the pegasus could do well, it was think on his hooves. Improvising would not be a problem in this case.

"Alright," he conceded, "but if anypony finds out who you are or tries to arrest you, I'll deny ever having anything to do with you."

"Okay, deal." Armor wasn't afraid. Nothing like that was going to happen with Sterling there to vouch for him...or so he hoped.

Sterling decided to step in first, being the "guest of honor", as it were. The unicorn followed close behind, trying to blend in with the captain's son and the background as well as he could.

This eating establishment, dubbed the Crystal Coronet, was evidently so fancy that to even be able to see the dining hall, one first had to pass a list check at a front desk, which Sterling approached with cautious hoof-falls. A finely-dressed, dark-blue pegasus with a greased-back mane the color of the night outside greeted the stallion with surprised respect.

"Oh, Lieutenant Sterling Spear," he made a quick, accommodating gesture with his hoof, "we are honored that you have chosen our restaurant to dine in tonight!"

His subtle, polite grin was replaced by a confused grimace as he noticed that another pony was close behind, trying to seem invisible and failing horribly. Whoever it was looked to be trailing the distinguished pegasus, keeping out of sight with every movement he made.

"Um, Lieutenant," -he squinted to the offending unicorn- "I do believe you have some sort of...burglar following you."

The receptionist shuffled out from behind the desk, demanding a better look at the culprit and his face. As he circled around Sterling, stealing a peek, Armor would shift to the opposite side of the light brown pegasus to deter him. The blue-maned pony started to get more harried the faster he was chased. Luckily, if Sterling was nerve-wracked about this whole experience at all, his own features didn't show it and were solid as a rock, raising an eyebrow incredulously at the relentless name-checker.

"Is there a problem, my good stallion?" Sterling decided to speak up as the blue pony finally ceased the chase, winded from running around in a circle practically non-stop.

"I knew it! He's an imposter," the receptionist pointed an accusing hoof toward Armor, who gulped at the possibility of being thrown out. "Shall I call security to deal with him, Sir?"

Sterling turned his head toward the supposed "imposter", pretending not to notice what he was jabbering about. He looked at Armor, and then back to the pegasus, a glint of accusation in his eyes.

"You are not possibly referring to my FRIEND here, are you?"

The captain's son loved the shocked look on his face, relishing in how his poise from a moment before had been replaced by fear at the possibility of messing up and making the other pegasus upset.

"Oh my...your f-f-friend? I'm so terribly sorry, Lieutenant!"

Although he was scared of what might happen to his job now that he had offended one of the most distinguished ponies in Canterlot, he couldn't help but notice how criminality floated around the elusive stallion like a pungent odor, what with his innocent, over-compensating smile and ski-mask on his head. Sterling took this as a cue to explain why Armor looked the way he did.

"You must be wondering why he's wearing the mask, right?"

The receptionist was a little conflicted on whether or not he should know why, but he nodded his head all the same.

"Well, let's just put it this way." Sterling came up closer to the pegasus to explain. "This guy with me is very well known throughout Equestria. He's a major celebrity, and if anypony knew that he was dining here, he would get immediately swamped by adoring ponies everywhere. Isn't that right, friend?"

The expectant glare on Sterling's face broke Armor out of his speechless unease and he forced himself to reply in a natural way.

"Oh, yes," -Armor noticed the high pitch of his normal voice, dialing it down to something more gravelly and gruff- "I mean, yes Sterling, that is completely correct!"

The fearful receptionist knew he had done wrong now. This guy was addressing the lieutenant by his first name, which must have meant they were on an equal level in some way. He bowed to the unicorn expediently, realizing the error in judgement.

"Sir, I apologize for my rude behavior! Any companion of the son of Captain Broadlance should be honored more appropriately."

Armor's eyes shifted in his mask at Sterling as he guffawed with his new voice timbre. "Oh don't worry about it, my good stallion. I'm a pretty informal guy myself, no harm done."

As the solid blue pegasus lifted his head with a relieved smile, the other two knew that he had completely bought into their scheme. He went back around to his desk, just to make sure that everything was taken care of.

"Alright then, I see Mr. Sterling Spear and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza on the list, but it looks like you are not, Sir. What name should I put you down as?"

The black-clad unicorn turned to Sterling nervously for help, but the lieutenant just gave him a look that said, "Your choice would be as good as mine!"

"Um...well..."

He had to think of a name quick; something original, something catchy, like...

"My name is...Sparkling Cuirass!"

Sterling almost broke his own nose as he face-hoofed himself. What was that idiot thinking, making a name like that? Somepony would recognize the connection immediately with that kind of designation!

The receptionist pony mindlessly jotted the name down as Armor spoke it, unperturbed by the awkwardness of the naming situation. "Sparkling...Cuirass...good, it is official! Enjoy your dinner here at The Crystal Coronet, my fine fellows!"

"T...Thank you..." Sterling offered his appreciation and stepped toward the door to the hall, where it sounded like at least a hundred ponies had gathered and were enjoying various conversations.

"Yeah, thanks!" Armor drawled with grainy respect, following close behind his compatriot once again as he opened the rather ornate door to their courting grounds.

Sterling still couldn't believe that the pegasus didn't even wince at Armor's new and incredibly stupid name, but those thoughts were cut off by the white unicorn as he gasped sharply at the spectacle of the dining hall.

"Wow," Armor gushed, "I don't think I'd be able to afford a night here even if I worked toward it my whole life! Look at all of this!"

The setup was not unlike a grand ballroom, with plenty of space for the small, white-clothed, circular tables that were nestled within their intimate little nooks, privacy guaranteed at each one. They harbored scores of families, groups of friends, and even multiple couples indulging in a romantic soiree. Ponies of all races, but similar wealth status, dined on only the finest fruits, vegetables, and other courses Equestria could find. As they did so, red silk napkins would be used to cleanse their mouths as the patrons laughed, shared stories, and exchanged various forms of affection in the low candlelight.

The tables were all evenly lined-up with each other, and stretched to the end opposite from where the two males entered. A similar experience was being enjoyed on a second level up from the floor, even a third, in stair-step layers, making the large, rectangular area seem even more open and massive. Brass chandeliers, glorious in size, hung from the high ceiling, providing even more flickering light than the table candles, sporting great wax bars that would most assuredly endure the melting heat.

As waiters and bus-ponies scurried around, ensuring everypony was pleased with their meals, as well as the general ambiance, the place was quite lively and crowded, a fact that might make Armor's ability to hide somewhat difficult.

"Easy there, Armor," Sterling chided him while gesturing for the unicorn to stay behind him and low to the ground, "we're going to get caught if you make too much of a scene."

"Oh, right," Armor replied in a whisper, immediately lessening his profile by complying with Sterling.

"Now, follow me quietly."

Every step the pegasus took was mimicked by Armor. When passing by a table or two, they noticed that nopony seemed the wiser, which was good for now. Sterling didn't think very highly of most ponies in general when it came to intellect, but surely SOMEONE was going to call him out on it one of these times.

"Ah, Honorable Son of the Captain, I presume," a cordial unicorn waiter, dressed in fancy attire, bowed swiftly to the young stallion as he crossed his path, ready to seat him at a moment's notice.

Sterling was slightly startled by the sudden attention, too busy with thoughts of Armor getting caught and ruining this chance for him.

"Your table is over on this end of the restaurant, next to our vibrant aquarium, the best seat in the house!"

Sterling curtly nodded to him with his serious gaze, expecting nothing less, especially since he let that sap, Armor, talk him into "investing" in the most expensive table there was to impress Princess Cadence! His money would've been better spent on less tedious affairs.

"Your hospitality is appreciated, lead the way."

Sterling smirked as non-threateningly as possible, allowing the servant to guide him over to the, admittedly when he looked upon it, impressive seating arrangement. The aquarium actually encircled the area, as if made for the purpose of enhancing the dining experience for the patrons of this table alone. Lighting from the other side of the tank reflected clear blue ripples into the white tablecloth, their movement patterns mesmerizing. Even a few wisps of green could be detected from strands of bent rays, adding variety to the already satisfying effects.

"Sir, I hope this will be appropriate enough for your dinner-date with Princess Mi Amore Cadenza," the waiter demonstrated a hoof to the riveting show.

"Indeed, it will be sufficient." Sterling didn't want to sound overtly impressed, but he couldn't completely mask his awe at the marvelous sight.

Armor, however, would have no such pleasure, as he had dived under the table as fast as he could to avoid detection. At least now he didn't have to be too sneaky and could relax himself for a minute while Sterling took his own seat above him on the right side of the table. The tablecloths covered all the way to the ground, which would be advantageous. On the bad side, the seat, instead of individual chairs, was one long, cream-colored booth that was like a crescent, evidently so that families could sit closer together, or couples could snuggle with each other if the mood struck them. Armor could only hope that things between Sterling and Cadence didn't heat up too much, and they tried to shift closer to each other, or else he would probably be caught.

Sterling gave the waiter a minute to get out of his face before hunching under the table to make sure Armor was in position.

"So, are you ready down there Armor?"

The unicorn gave him a short, low reply from the other side of the cloth. "I'm good to go, Sterling."

With their positions taken up, they opted out of conversing too much with each other for the few minutes they were waiting. Armor didn't want to be spotted, and Sterling...well...he just didn't like Armor all that much, and couldn't bear to make himself socialize and make small talk with the scraggly tree-hugger. Some sort of existential garbage would no doubt leak from his lips if he tried to anyway.

The two conspirators' attention was drawn to the front of the restaurant, however, when one of the waiters clopped his hooves together to get the attention of all of the dining ponies. It must have been a really important announcement if he needed everypony's ears.

"Ladies and Gentlecolts, we are proud to announce that we have a distinguished guest in our midst tonight! Announcing her royal highness herself, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of Equestria!"

Whispers shot around the large room as the proclamation was made. The ponies were practically buzzing in enthusiasm. It was certainly a high honor to be in the very presence of royalty.

Sterling muttered to himself, appalled by the misplaced excitement. "Look at all of these fools. A princess comes out to eat, and everypony melts into puddles of goo at the prospect of even looking upon her. Pathetic, really."

"Remember, Sterling," Armor admonished him and his train of thought, "you need to be on your best behavior. Make sure you don't make any mean comments like that when the princess is around."

"Yeah, yeah," Sterling snorted and jeered. "Just make sure you have my back if I do."

A small trumpet fanfare was played as the doors to the restaurant slowly opened up. Armor peeked his head out of the white cloth momentarily to get a better look, while Sterling waited as patiently as someone of his mindset would be able to.

A beautiful, pink mare made her way through the doorway as ponies gasped in delight, clopping their hooves together, or on the floor, as some of them were standing up, giving their subdued, quiet cheer for her. As she walked out onto the carpet, toward the familiar face of Sterling Spear, one thing had been made abundantly clear.

Princess Cadence had arrived.

* * *

A/N - First part out of two.


	7. Chapter 7 The Dinner Date, Second Half

A/N - Hope a long chapter will help make up for my absence. Also, like chapter six, this is what I get for wanting too much detail in my stories, they get pretty darn long.

* * *

Shining Armor's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as they rested upon the breathtaking princess. Did Princess Cadence always look so phenomenal? As he watched her take her first light steps out into the dining hall, Armor was stupefied as he tried to comprehend how two weeks of spending quality friend time and being so close with the royal alicorn had not made his knees buckle under him sooner. Even though he was still lurking under the table, no eyes directed at him, especially now, a wave of self-consciousness crept along his spine, making him hopelessly flustered.

Sterling Spear, in the other camp, calmly looked on as she waved cordially to her subjects, and they bowed whenever she passed them. She seemed to be put off by the lavish attention, but smiled to each and every pony all the same.

Her attire was nothing short of what one would expect from the royal family. A pure, silky, white dress clung to her figure snugly, though not too much so, enhancing the way she swayed with every crystal-clad hoof-step. Instead of her royal crown and collar, she had decided to go with a necklace of tiny, white diamonds, which complimented her outfit without seeming too over-the-top, and while her hair was still down in her usual style, it seemed slightly different with the purple clip she added to the side that would have otherwise framed her face. Who would want her face hidden, though? Cadence had applied just the barest hint of coloration to her cheeks, and those already sultry eyes of hers were adorned in a light purple eyeshadow and mascara. She seemed like a completely different pony without all of the regal jewelry, as if she was simply a mare from the city, but despite the change, the princess could still be filed into the "unattainable" category nonetheless.

Everypony knew how lucky the captain's son was to be given the privilege of courting one of Equestria's most high-powered and well-spoken -not to mention stunning- mares. Everypony that is...except for Sterling himself...

He grumbled softly as the pink filly noticed his presence on the other side of the grand restaurant, striding over to join him with a wide grin on her face. "Hmph...took her long enough."

She was eagerly waving to him from her position about halfway across the hall to their seats. Sterling donned a saccharine smile and waved back at her with little, irrepressible hints of condescension.

"Remember, Sterling," Armor warned him one more time before keeping quiet, "help her to her seat."

The self-appointed alpha male didn't reply back, but actions spoke louder than words as he stood up from the booth, that same corn-fed smile reaching from one side of his face to the other.

"Allow me to help you to your seat, Princess," he managed to choke the nicety out as he took her front hoof in his, helping her into the crescent, off-white booth that could've been mistaken for some kind of couch.

"Oh," -Cadence smirked playfully and gave him a bat of the eyes in appreciation- "a gentlecolt, I see."

As he made sure she was inside, Sterling slid back over to his end of the booth, sitting across from Cadence, his cold eyes training themselves to be warmer as he regarded her attentively. A few moments passed in silence as the two stared daftly at each other, either waiting for the other to make a move, or thinking about what they could do to initiate a less awkward atmosphere.

Sterling's savior under the table mumbled as softly as possible, hopefully out of Cadence's earshot, as he realized that Sterling was too disoriented to do anything. "Tell her she looks very lovely tonight."

The pegasus, once again, did not reply to Armor, but showed his reluctant obedience quickly by regurgitating Armor's suggestion, stumbling a little as the foreign phrases became new additions to his vocabulary, only for this one time.

"Cadence, you look...very lovely tonight," he started out, blanching inwardly at the sound of his own voice. How much of this would he have to put up with before the night was over?

Princess Cadence's complexion darkened a bit at the compliment. She was suddenly feeling a little bashful that Sterling had taken the time to notice how much effort she had put into her ensemble.

"Thank you, Sterling, that's really sweet of you to say." She turned her head to examine the floor tiles, much less embarrassing than staring into his piercing green eyes.

The unicorn under the table analyzed the tone of Cadence's voice thoroughly to see if she was even one iota uncomfortable or offended by anything Sterling did. In all of their time talking with each other, Armor had never thought of Cadence as easily put off. She had a pretty thick skin, what with all of her royal duties demanding hard decision making and such. Then again, with Sterling Spear trying to court her, a stallion who wouldn't know the meaning of the word "affection" if you pulled out a dictionary and shoved his nose into it, anything could go wrong here.

It sounded like she had really taken a liking to his statement, which was good. Though, some of those previous knots were starting to rub against each other in Armor's midsection again. The fleeting -ghostly really- thought that he should be the one in Sterling's position came back with a vengeance.

She was always so kind, caring, and understanding of his problems, something he had hardly ever gotten from most ponies. Even though she was powerful and beautiful, she lowered herself to his level to comfort him. Sure, they didn't always see eye to eye on everything, but those were trivial problems compared to the way she made him feel. With her, he felt like a prince; respected, admired for his accomplishments, even if those things didn't really matter to anypony but himself. If only he could make it official...

No, he had a duty to uphold here! He had to make sure she married somepony like Sterling; strong, powerful, well off, like the alicorn herself. Practically speaking, marrying Armor would be like taking a dive into the shallow end of the pool. He couldn't support her properly in ruling over a kingdom, and he would only be a hindrance to her continued success with as much of a spineless failure he was when it came to those pursuits.

Armor shook his head of his traitorous thoughts. Sterling was counting on him, and he would do everything he could to make their relationship work! He focused back in, making sure he hadn't missed some pivotal point in a conversation. Luckily, Cadence was just now beginning to get around to sharing a compliment of her own.

Cadence was so overwhelmed by all of the hoopla made for her when she came into the eatery that she didn't get a good, long look to absorb how her own date was dressed. Now that she had, Sterling was...sweet Celestia...he was just about the most delicious thing on four legs! Not that he wasn't always pointedly handsome, but with that obviously custom-tailored suit, and the noticeable change -more like improvement- in his mane, so soft-looking she could run a hoof through it, she couldn't remember the last time Sterling had made her feel so flushed. She tilted her head to answer his gaze with her own violet orbs.

"My, Sterling, I'm delighted that you were so prepared for our date. You're quite dashing yourself!"

The coy chuckle that the pegasus was trying to emit had somehow warped into what could be mistaken for labored wheezes, not really being one to laugh in any capacity unless some sort of personal evil was involved.

"Well, Princess Cadence," he began with an air of confidence, "I do aim to please. I am in the presence of royalty, after all."

At the mention of "royalty", Cadence's disposition faltered just enough to alert Sterling to the change in mood.

"Is there anything the matter, Cadence?"

She caught herself moaning in a hint of frustration at the stuffy designation, quickly attempting to display an apologetic grin. "Oh, I'm sorry, Sterling, it's just kind of...unsettling to carry the royal title around with me everywhere I go."

"Is it, now?..." Sterling was vaguely fascinated at how Cadence didn't wish to purport her station like it was a trophy. He figured if he were prince, which he would be soon, he would find a way to make the very soil of the land itself bow down in his presence, not that it wasn't already under his hooves.

Armor chewed on his lower lip nervously. He should've known to inform Sterling that Cadence had that distinctive pet peeve of being constantly reminded she was a princess. It was one of the reasons Armor took such a fast liking to the alicorn. She was always so humble, so approachable, that even he didn't fret around her. Though, Sterling may not have known that as he did, or was too busy keeping himself from stumbling on his words. Well, he could only chalk it up as "strike one" for him and move on through the dinner.

The momentary tension in the air was relieved by one of the uniformly-dressed waiters. As he approached their table, Sterling nudged his head over to give the colt his minimal attention, while Cadence had gratefully taken the ice-breaker with a bright look in his direction.

"Good evening, Princess and Lieutenant! May I interest you in any of our house drinks?"

"I could use a stiff shot of whiskey right about now..." Sterling mumbled in his head.

"I'll have some of your famous Merlot," Cadence chimed as she took in the multiple choices of wine they had.

"...and for you, sir?" The waiter asked Sterling when he hadn't raised his head from the menu on the table.

"...I'll just have a water," Sterling's face was a mask of indifference.

"A...water..." the waiter slowly drawled as he jotted it down. "Sir, madam, I will get those drinks for you right away!"

The spirited unicorn casually strode off with his note pad in his magic field, leaving the two lovebirds to converse with each other once again.

"Forgive me for prying, Sterling," Cadence spoke up tentatively, "but why not indulge a little and get a drink that's a little more...zesty?"

"Oh, I have a very high alcohol intolerance, Cadence. I wouldn't be able to keep it down," the pegasus lied through his teeth to avoid the topic.

Cadence pursed a hoof to her chin as she thought back to another one of their dates. "That's odd, I could've sworn you had a martini just a few days ago..."

Sterling had another prefabricated reply on hoof ready to shell out of his mouth. "That was a non-alcoholic martini."

Thankfully, Cadence seemed to take the statement at face value. "Really? Hmm...I guess it looked a little different from a regular one."

Sterling seemed to be handling himself fairly well, from what Armor could gather, though he could've been a little bit nicer in his responses. The pink mare must have been used to his iciness, since she didn't seem heavily fazed by his short tone of voice. The unicorn did note that Cadence had been the one to instigate every conversation. Maybe soon he could give the tongue-tied soldier some ideas, though not right now, as he would most assuredly be found out.

Head bent slightly down, Sterling analyzed the other menu they had been given for dinner choices closely. The princess took that moment to get more detailed looks of her beau. That focused, determined stare of his was mesmerizing, even when it wasn't directed toward her. She didn't particularly appreciate the way he sneered at other ponies so dispassionately, but she couldn't deny that the twist in his features was cute. He was a lot like a stereotypical prince, in a dark, haughty sort of way. At least tonight it felt like he was trying to change, helping her to her seat and his unusual lucidity.

The alicorn noticed the woeful amount of space in the booth between them. A courting couple should not be so distanced from each other. She figured that Sterling, with his mind elsewhere, was not on the same wavelength at the time, but felt that a way to get more...cozy was in order.

"Oh, Sterling," she crooned to get his undivided attention, which he gave her by looking up from the menu, "you're so far away over on the other side of the booth. Why don't we shift over to the middle so that we can get better acquainted."

All of a sudden, a loud cough, like a throat being cleared, made its way to both of their ears.

"W...what was that?" Cadence was almost shocked out of her seat by the plosive noise. "Is there somepony under the table?..."

The coffee-colored pegasus had a panicked look as he fished for something to keep her from lifting the tablecloth in front of her. He stood up from the table suddenly, drawing the attention of one or two patrons around them. "NO, NO, THAT WAS JUST...ME!"

Cadence was taken aback by the sudden emotion in her date's face and voice. She didn't dare raise that cloth with a reaction like that. "...That was...you?"

"OH, YES!" Sterling's eyes shifted a little as he formulated a way to bust Armor's flank out of trouble. He sat back down casually and proceeded to fib. "That's the way I cough. You see, when I was still a recruit in the guard, we were told not to move under any circumstances when we were lined up for inspections. Anypony who was caught coughing, sneezing, or talking out of line was reprimanded or heckled. I devised a way around it, so that I could do those things without alerting the officers that it was me. So, I still have that old habit of covering my coughs sometimes."

Cadence raised an eyebrow, but tried to give him the benefit of a doubt. "Oh, that sort of makes sense..."

He gave her a tense grin to reassure her of his truthfulness. One thing he knew that Cadence did not was that the cough from under the table was a sign of warning. "I think it would be best if we sat where we are. It's much easier on the waiters if we eat at the end of the table, rather than the middle, since they don't have to reach over or pull the table out to clean it."

"Wow, Sterling," the princess was genuinely impressed by his thoughtfulness, "I never considered it that way before. It is very nice of you to think of the staff like that."

Armor murmured a kudos directed at Sterling for his double play. Since he had to, essentially, sit in the middle of the booth to avoid stray hooves reaching out to him, he would instantly be vulnerable to detection. The way the pegasus handled the situation, so quick on his hooves that he was, showed her his more friendly, helpful side, hopefully gaining some much needed points in this game of love.

"Heh heh," -even his most demure laughs sounded a little demonic- "I'm sure they would do the same for me if I was their server."

Wow, the typically rough-edged warrior was on a roll right now. Armor wondered if he could read his mind, since that sounded EXACTLY like something he would've said to Cadence had she complimented him. Maybe Sterling didn't really need his help after all, just a nudge in the right direction. With how quiet he had been so far, he felt like little more than a not-so-cleverly hidden third wheel.

Armor listened back in as the waiter from before had finally gotten back to the couple with their drinks. The bubbly, dark violet drink for Cadence, and a refreshing, though by Cadence's suggestion bland, glass of water for Sterling.

"Now then," he cordially questioned with his note pad at the ready, "what would both of you wish to order tonight?"

Here's where things got a little sketchy, and where Armor knew his guidance might be useful. Sterling had admitted that he liked to order for the princess, as it was more in his nature and upbringing to choose his marefriend's dinner for her. However, it had been backfiring on him lately because Cadence expressed displeasure with how pushy it seemed. The unicorn could certainly see that happening, since he was aware that Cadence was a pony who knew what she wanted, and didn't give much leeway for alternatives.

That stubborn mule, however, just had to put his mouth on overdrive and say the first thing that came to mind.

"The lady will have a small salad, light on the croutons and dressing, please!"

As the words left Sterling's lips, a great, blunt-force pain wracked his nervous system around his right hind-leg. That...that bastard just...kicked him! He choked back tears of agony and a good many curses that would make his dead ancestors cry, along with the urge to drag that miserable excuse for a unicorn out from under the table and beat the living sh...stuffing out of him until he begged for mercy.

"Goodness, are you alright, Sterling? You look like you just broke a blood vessel," Cadence almost jumped from the table when the pegasus suddenly bit his tongue for no conceivable reason.

"I...I'm...fine, Cadence!" Needless to say, he didn't look the part. However, he swallowed his anger at the insolent attack and rephrased his last order in a more Cadence-friendly way.

"...Actually, I'll let the princess decide what she wants for herself."

The waiter looked on at the scene, holding off to see if the lieutenant would need some sort of medical attention. Once the pegasus had calmed down enough to look like he wasn't in danger, the waiter continued to ask Cadence what she would like instead.

Cadence was busy worrying over her date, but answered his inquiry while attending to him. "I'll just have the grass steak with the loaded baked potato."

Sterling imagined that if he commented on how high in fat her meal was, he'd no doubt feel the same throbbing in his left leg soon after.

"Alright, madam. Then that brings us to you, Lieutenant Sterling Spear. What will you be having tonight?"

The only thing Sterling was going to be having tonight was Shining Armor's head after what he just did!

"...The fettuccine alfredo," he tried to pronounce evenly as his leg still hurt, "go easy on the cream sauce. If I find even one teaspoon too much, I'll-"

"AHEM!" Armor bellowed under the table.

Sterling turned toward Cadence, muttering a quick apology for his need to clear his throat before she could inquire him. He focused on the waiter again with some slight embarrassment, more for himself than for almost threatening the stallion.

"I mean, that will be it, good sir," he attempted a congenial smirk.

The waiter, while sort of freaked out by the sudden turn in demeanor, didn't give it a second thought. "So, the grass steak and the loaded baked potato, and the fettuccine alfredo with a light cream sauce. Excellent choices! I will return with your orders very shortly."

He gave a light bow to the two ponies and made his way toward the kitchens once again.

While Cadence returned to her seat after making sure Sterling was alright, she took the time to comment on his thoughtful behavior. "Thanks for letting me choose what I want this time, Sterling. I'm so glad that you care about me to such a degree."

The aching lieutenant just waved off his own forced act of kindness. "It was nothing, Cadence. What kind of coltfriend would I be if I didn't take your wishes into account more often? I apologize for not doing so more in the past."

Although Cadence was smiling warmly to her charge, she was quite puzzled at how this new and improved Sterling was acting. Most of the time, he would just sit by passively as she tried to compliment him on his looks, or make some kind of easy, small talk. He was actually responding to these things now, and not in a callous way either, even going so far as to make a positive remark about her as well.

She thought, however, that what really made her realize the change was how he handled the waiter. Sure, he wasn't the most amiable to him by a long shot, but with the way he didn't explicitly threaten him, it was a monumental step in the right direction. Also, he let HER choose her own dinner, something that he had strongly opposed in every other date before for some who knows reason. It was charming of him, but very...unnatural to see him so docile.

"So, Sterling, how has your day been?" She was genuinely curious as his mood tonight had been better than she'd ever seen.

"Terrible..." Sterling mumbled out loud.

A swift thump on the leg alerted him that Armor didn't agree with his choice of words.

"Oh, did I say terrible? I meant terrific! I was helping my father train some of the new cadets today. They're the most stalwart bunch of soldiers I've seen in years! They took easily to the drills and tests we put them through. Everyone had a great time getting to know one another, and I feel like I bonded with each and every one of them."

Under the table, Armor grimaced as he remembered what he saw out on the training fields that morning. Sterling was telling a half-truth at best, and if by "bonding" he meant "bonding a whip to his rookies' tender flanks", then the statement would've held more weight in truth.

Cadence tried not to let her gaze become disheveled in disbelief as the enthused lieutenant relayed the only, singular, spectacular day Sterling had ever had in all of the time she had known him. Something was definitely up. She didn't want to pry into his reasons for his behavior too much, but she knew in her stomach that Sterling was hiding something very peculiar.

"That's great," she emoted to not seem lost in thought. A few seconds later, she felt an insistent urge overtake her. "Well, I think I have to use the ladies room, Sterling. I'll be right back."

"Oh Celestia," Sterling thought to himself, "I didn't think she'd ever leave me the heck alone for one moment!"

Cadence smirked at him before leaving, promising that she would not be too long. As her figure stepped into the lavatories on one side of the restaurant, Sterling clenched his teeth and squinted his eyes in malice.

Now was his chance for some payback!

Sterling lifted the tablecloth to peer under, glaring daggers at the masked unicorn on the floor who inched back, frightened.

"You son-of-a-biscuit-eater! I ought to break a leg off of this table and skewer you with it!"

"Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on a minute Sterling! I was just keeping you from ruining the streak you had going for a while there!" Armor waved his hooves about in surrender.

"Where in Equestria do you get off kicking me, ME of all ponies? You do something like that one more time, and I'm going to lay into you right here, in front of everypony!"

"Okay, OKAY, I won't do it again," Armor folded under the pressure. "Just don't say something to get yourself in trouble with her! If only for tonight, you've gotta control your temper, Sterling!"

"I'll show you a temper, you melon-headed-"

"Sterling? Why are you whispering under the table?"

ACK! Cadence was back! The pegasus whipped his head from under the cloth in a blinding flash, resting against his side of the booth, trying to look dignified. "Oh, nothing! I was just giving myself a pep talk. You know how it is. It's hard to talk to someone who makes your insides quiver."

Sterling would have to remind himself to wash his mouth out with alcohol -and preferably swallow it too- when he got home that night.

Cadence giggled at the frank admission. "Oh you! You're making me blush!"

Aha! The pink alicorn knew that Sterling was hiding something from her! Why would he be under the table if nothing was there in the first place? Should she just check for herself? No, then Sterling would be upset with her, and she was actually starting to like this more charming model of the sandy, beautiful pegasus. Maybe she'd wait until he had to take his own restroom break. That's it, she'd just wait it out! He would have to excuse himself sometime!

While they waited for their entrees, Sterling and Cadence shared some more words about how they were doing, how lovely it was tonight, typical banter for the couple who didn't really want to broach any sensitive subjects, more preferring to spend it in a more relaxed air, basking in each others presence.

The two had been sharing a lively talk, full of cues from Armor when Sterling said something inconsiderate or spiteful toward somepony. Cadence made an effort to laugh at his jokes, some a little on the morbid side, but maybe his interests were in the dark comedies, something fairly unique to the tastes of those she knew personally. She tried not to stare at the cloth under her hooves, her new side objective to see what lurked behind it that Sterling had been poking his head under for. Pretty soon, the waiter came back out with the two dishes, hot and ready for delicious consumption.

"Mademoiselle, Lieutenant, dinner is served!"

"Ooh, thank you so much!" Cadence was already devouring the meal with her vision alone.

"Thank you." Sterling replied with rough kindness. "At least the waiter didn't forget to keep the cream sauce on the scarce side," he thought as the plate was laid down in front of him.

"Oh and sir?" Cadence quickly asked before the waiter could say anything else.

"Yes, Princess, what can I do for you?"

"...Could you bring us some salt?"

The waiter seemed particularly unfazed by the request, he had more right on his serving disk, but Sterling's face contorted momentarily at her question. That pitiful excuse for food in front of her was little more than a heart-attack in the shape of a grass patty, and was that small boulder supposed to be a potato? Why in Celestia's name would she need to load it down with more salt?

Of course, if Sterling were Cadence, he would've realized that the salt wasn't for her...

Cadence dug in right away, relishing in the surprising juiciness of the steak, nothing but butter, spices, and the finest, freshest greens available. Her potato looked similarly moist as well, with sour cream, onion chives, and gooey, melted cheese.

Sterling could hardly stand the sight of so much food, and much less the sight of the princess partaking in something so heavy. His fairly plain-looking alfredo would be more than sufficient for his own nutritional needs.

As Cadence watched Sterling try to take his first little bite, she felt now was the appropriate time to put her plan into action.

"WOW, look at the string quartet playing over there, Sterling! Isn't the violinist spectacular?"

She pointed a hoof in the direction of the stage, where musicians would play to accompany their clients' meal. Sterling was a little caught off guard by the sudden exclamation and turned his head abruptly to see what got the princess so ruffled. As he did so, Cadence grasped the salt shaker in her magic and levitated it over to the pegasus' dish. She couldn't drench it in the granules, but she poured as much of it out onto the fettuccine as she could get away with, and wrenched it back toward her end of the table before he could turn back to her.

"He's good, but I've heard better," Sterling snickered lightly, going for his first bite of food.

When the noodles slithered down his throat, the taste was incredibly overpowering. So much so, in fact, that he had to take an immediate swig of his water to calm the sensation. With some small restraint, he bashed the glass of water down onto the table in frustration.

"Gah! Those fools! I told them to go easy on the dressing! Great! Well, looks like I'm going to be drinking a lot of water tonight..."

Just what Cadence had wanted to hear...

"Waiter?" Cadence called sweetly to a server tending to another table at her plan's realization.

"Yes, Princess, is there anything I can do?" He asked with just the right amount of urgency in his voice.

"Could you bring us a pitcher of water? My date here is going to need it."

"Right away, madam!"

Armor chuckled slightly at the thought of Sterling being so sensitive to saltiness. He guessed the insurmountable soldier wasn't so invincible after all. You learn something new everyday.

The alicorn continued her own dinner while watching the colt gag, reach for his glass, and swallow multiple times. It was getting so bad that Sterling would drink a full glass for one bite, which admittedly made the princess give a good-natured chortle.

"Care for a refill on that water, Honey?" Cadence was ready before he even finished the last full glass.

"It would be most appreciated," Sterling tried to sound suave while his throat was practically raw with the sting of the salt-laden alfredo.

"My, my, Sterling, is the fettuccine really that strong?"

Her question went unregistered but answered nonetheless as Sterling took his next gulp. She couldn't help the conspiratorial giggles at the sight.

Armor was getting a little concerned by now, as Sterling really seemed to be hammering down the water left and right. What's more, he figured Cadence would have said something to one of the waiters sooner if Sterling was suffering so much through his plate of noodles. It seemed awfully out of character for her to accept it without making some sort of offer to ask them to bring a fresh plate out.

"Given all of that water, I'm shocked that you haven't needed to go to the restrooms yet, Sweetie."

The unicorn took a shot in the dark and pondered to himself. If, and this is a big "if", Cadence was trying to make the pegasus go to the restroom, what motive would she have in doing so? Did she need him away for something? She DID notice that he was peering and whispering under the table a few minutes ago... Uh oh, maybe she was trying to make sure he was out before she looked to see what all of his fuss was about.

"...Now that you mention it..." Sterling could feel some pressure in his groin at the suggestion.

"Sterling," Armor mumbled to the pegasus, who was getting more and more urged to relieve himself by the second, "...whatever you do, don't go to the bathroom..."

The lieutenant wanted to scream, but instead thought, "Are you kidding me? I can't hold this in THAT long!"

Armor continued. "...I think Cadence salted your meal at some point to make you go so that she can look under the table without you knowing."

Sterling's eyes bulged slightly as he looked over at the apparent shyster he was dating, chewing on her potato gleefully. "...That sneaky little minx..." He was pretty angry, but some part of him was a tiny bit impressed with the crafty maneuver. Not such a perfect, proper princess after all, eh?

"At least try to hold on while I think of some way to get out from under here," Armor added to ensure the stallion that it wouldn't be too long.

Sterling flailed a leg in front of Armor, telling him to hurry up, since he wouldn't be able to hold it much longer as it was. In the meantime, he decided that speaking with Cadence might alleviate the stress on his bladder.

"So...Cadence, how does your grease...I mean, grass steak taste?"

Cadence looked up from the savory dish, giving Sterling a calm grin. "It's one of the juiciest grass steaks I've ever eaten! It's as if they have a greenhouse back in the kitchens to make the blades as fresh as possible. The ones I've had in other restaurants have been dry and cracked, ew!"

The princess noticed a pained smile on Sterling's face. He must've needed to go pretty badly now.

"How has your pasta been, Sterling?"

Sterling managed to speak through his discomfort. "It's...quite salty. I don't know exactly what the chefs did, but it's almost too much for me to bear."

"I could tell by all of the water you've been drinking," Cadence pointed to the pitcher to show him just how much had been drained from it. "If you need to take a bathroom break, that's okay. It looks like you're going to blow any moment," she giggled.

Yeah, no thanks to you, he thought darkly to himself.

The mischievous princess chose that exact time to study the aquarium around them admiringly. "Look at all of the fish in there, Sterling! They must have species from every corner of the continent in that tank. Not to mention all of the water it holds."

At the mention of water, the pegasus clenched down, trying not to succumb to this cheap tactic Cadence was employing to make him more in need of relief.

"It's flowing so steadily, almost like a stream out in the forest."

Sterling was hoping that Armor had found someway to disappear, because he was nearing his breaking point.

"Hissssssss!"

Once the princess had started tauntingly making river sounds, the lieutenant had practically launched up out of his seat.

"AAAACK! WHERE'S THE RESTROOM? I'M GOING TO SOIL MYSELF!"

With all of his trademark speed afforded to him, Sterling took off like a bullet over to the nearest male-shaped bathroom door sign, slamming into at least one unsuspecting bus-pony in the process. Cadence smirked triumphantly, finally having the table all to herself.

Carefully, she lifted the white fabric with a hoof, curiously peering under it to see what could possibly have captured her date's attention the way that it had. The sneakiness in her demeanor melted abruptly as a confusing sight met her eyes. There was absolutely nothing under this table, well, except for the customary stray piece of ancient gum that had fused into the woodwork long ago. Otherwise, anything Sterling would have been interested in seemed to be gone from sight. She put the cloth down in defeat, huffing a little now that she had either hallucinated, or been foiled.

She could've sworn that he had been mumbling to somepony under there. Then again, maybe she was just being distrusting. Her mood fell a bit at the realization. She shouldn't be snooping behind her beau's back like this. If she couldn't trust him now, what would she do if they were married, and had to run mares off of her hubby with a stick? She felt sorry that she had been so suspicious, opting to just let Sterling be for tonight. However, she would have to keep on alert just in case he exhibited more odd behaviors, which was still something that did need to be addressed.

The pegasus in question was just leaving the bathroom, satisfied with the release of his tension, but minutely shamefaced that he had failed the "mission" tonight. Knowing Armor, a pony who was no spy when it came to skill in avoiding detection, Cadence had probably found him under there, dragged his flank out, and, once Sterling went back to the table, would have a boat-load of explaining to do. Of course, he could just say that the colt is a burglar and make him run off, but then he would have no more support from him, and the night wasn't over yet.

The pink princess was sitting with a bit of a sad expression on her face. Not a good sign.

"Cadence, I can explain everything-"

"No, no, Sterling, there's no need to explain," Cadence cut his apology off with a morose look in her eyes.

"There isn't?" The stallion's brows knitted, befuddled.

"I should've trusted you from the very beginning. You really were just talking to yourself under the table," she took a deep breath, ready to tell him what she had done. "I was the one who made your dinner so salty, not the chefs. I wanted you to go to the restroom so that I could see who you were speaking with. When I found out that you were telling the truth, I felt really bad about what I had done. Sorry, Sterling."

This was it, Sterling would be offended by what she did and never want to see her sneaky face ever again...

A maliciously humored glint adorned the soldier's eyes as the princess looked to be on the verge of tears. Opportunity flared brightly, and the evil pony was no stranger to such instances. He wouldn't even need Armor's help for this scene. He slowly sauntered over to Cadence, a concerned frown appearing from the corners of his mouth. He lifted her down-turned chin with a hoof, making her look him in the eyes.

"All is forgiven, My Dear," he pulled from his reserves to give her the kind of smile that some cretin like Armor would probably make. It was a decent effort, one that made Cadence a little red around the cheeks. "I have an idea," he stated as if an epiphany suddenly came to his attention. "Why don't we do what you wanted to in the first place and sit in the middle of the booth together now? I know it'll be a little more difficult on the bus-ponies, but I think we'll be able to keep the mess to a minimum for them."

Feeling her face warming up, Cadence nodded and spoke demurely. "Alright, I think that would be very nice..."

Sterling held her front hoof gingerly as he asked her to scoot over to the middle, following close behind her. Once they were both comfortable, they switched around their plates on the table, resuming and finishing up their respective meals.

Now that the lieutenant could think for a minute, he barely registered that Cadence didn't find Armor. He wondered where the scrawny unicorn had moseyed off to. He casually scanned the restaurant to see if Armor was still where he should be, somewhere on the ground, keeping a low profile. All he could really see were a bunch of suit-clad members of the waiting staff. One of them looked pointedly funny with that black ski mask over his he...

"WHAT THE?..." Sterling's jaw dropped to the table. What did that idiot think he was doing? Why was he over at a table trying to look busy? He wasn't trying to do what Sterling thought he was, was he?

"Um...you're new here, aren't you?" An earth pony table busser incredulously eyed the smiling unicorn, waving a pen and pad around with his magic to demonstrate just how busy he was pretending to be.

"Oh," Shining Armor grunted a little to make his voice do what he wanted, which was to make the same gruff voice he had used on the receptionist. "I mean...yeah, this is my first day on the job, actually. Any tables need waiting?" Armor asked with a hurried tone, wanting to sound as urgent as he had noticed the rest of the staff were.

The limerick-colored earth pony scanned the restaurant, feeling out of his element, since this wasn't his job. Though, he had worked here for years, thereby having a good sense of who would be needing what. His sharp, grey eyes settled on Cadence and Sterling for a moment, reverting back to the new guy who had seemed to come from out of the blue, throwing a hoof in their direction.

"Well, I think those two over there are just about done with their meal. I'd probably suggest seeing if they want to take dessert now."

"Thank you very kindly," Armor rasped with a grateful mug, turning away and heading over where he was instructed to go.

Sterling couldn't help but think to himself, "No no no, Armor! Don't come over here! What are you thinking? She's going to find out!"

At Sterling's misfortune, Armor's gaze connected with the two as he stopped right in front of the table, cheerfully addressing them. "So," his voice was extra grating to mask his real one. "Are you two cuties ready for dessert, or should I come back a little later?"

Armor winked at Sterling as the slack-jawed colt mouthed to him, "You're insane!"

Cadence's face fell a bit as she inspected their new waiter. "Why are you wearing that...ski mask on your head, Sir?"

The pegasus knew this wasn't a good idea. Armor simply put a hoof up to it and answered her question with dramatized sadness. "Oh, Princess, it was pandemonium where I worked before I found this job just...today in fact! I worked in a blacksmith, where we made weapons for the Royal Guard. There, I was introduced to the horrors of melted iron when one of my more" -Armor closed a hoof over his mouth to whisper the next word- "dim-witted colleagues thought it would be funny to make some sort of funnel to spray me with little flecks of it. Needless to say, it doesn't take much to scar you for life," Armor ended it there, knowing she would get the picture.

"That's so terrible, good waiter! My condolences and my apologies for prying about something so personal."

Armor waved it off. "Don't worry about it. All I hope is that I can take this thing off as soon as possible. It's starting to make my scalp itch like mad."

The unicorn gave her a friendly grin. "Well now, is dessert still something you two turtledoves are up for tonight?"

"I think I'm pretty stuffed from dinner," Cadence made a satisfied chuckle. "What about you, Sterling?"

"Yes, I believe I am quite full, Cadence," Sterling's voice gave out a little as he tried to process what she had just asked him after being so absorbed in the spur-of-the-moment excuse that cad was trying to pull over on the princess.

"We definitely couldn't eat two whole desserts on our own, but how about we get one of those nice little brownies and SHARE, huh?" Cadence gave the sandy stallion a suggestive shoulder nudge.

Sterling couldn't imagine wanting to eat anything else after that horrid alfredo. "I would rather no-"

A note pad, hovering in a blue aura, smacked Sterling behind his head before he could finish the statement.

"Oh my goodness," Armor interjected as he faked regret. "The horn's still a little off-kilter after the burn fiasco. Please forgive me, Lieutenant," Armor leaned into the table as a gesture of repentance, but shot a stern message into his waiting ear with his normal voice. "Just take the brownie, Sterling."

Once the unicorn had straightened back up, his co-conspirator flashed him a murderous smile. "It's nothing," Sterling told him out loud. What he really wanted to say was, "Looks like we're having your funeral tomorrow, Armor!"

The pegasus regained his bearings, his reply to the last inquiry much more positive now. "Now that I think about it, that brownie sounds delicious! We'll take that for dessert, Waiter."

"Oh ho ho," Armor jotted it down as he chortled approvingly. "You're gonna LOVE it, I guarantee you!"

He bowed in respect and went off toward the kitchens. After he left them to talk again, Cadence tapped Sterling lightly to get his attention. "Didn't that waiter seem awfully...familiar to you?"

A weird meep came from Sterling's throat as he tried to dismiss the idea. "Why, Cadence, whatever are you talking about? I don't see any resemblance between him and anypony I've ever met."

"I don't know...a white unicorn with a blue mane? It reminds me of somepony," she mulled quietly with pursed lips.

"That kind of description fits almost one-fourth of Canterlot, My Dear," Sterling tried to giggle, but cackled instead. "I'm sure he just SEEMS similar to another you've met before."

"Maybe you're right..."

She didn't see his cutie mark, which had disturbingly been covered up for some reason, but Cadence knew that two-toned tail was very distinctive to somepony she knew particularly well. He just had to have been Shining Armor with a unique tail like that.

"Ugh, listen to me!" Cadence thought, exasperated by her own musings. "I'm on a date with Sterling, and all I can think about is Shining Armor! Sterling's right, I'm just hallucinating and over-blowing this out of proportion. Can't think about it right now! Now, I'm with Sterling, and he's been so nice to me tonight. I should be focusing on him, not anypony else."

Encouraging herself, she tried to initiate another conversation with the stallion that wouldn't be related to the mysterious unicorn. They settled into an easy talk when she asked him some question pertaining to his career aspirations. Things were always more lively when Sterling was talking about himself.

The slippery Armor, on the other hoof, had shuffled his way over to the kitchen, where he was ushered to the board that they place all of the orders on for the cooks to take them. It was a frantic display of ponies going every which way; cooking, shouting something. Armor could see that this would be his perfect cover. He slapped Cadence and Sterling's dessert order onto the board, giving a hearty shout.

"ORDER UP!"

Instead of staying and waiting for the chef to acknowledge him, he slunk out through the doorway, letting another serving pony handle his request.

One of the cooks came by, answering the call, and was shocked to find that whoever had made the order was not there to wait for it. Shrugging his shoulders in resignation, he went to work preparing the unknown waiter's dish. He'd just make somepony else take it over there.

The unicorn crawled low to the ground in order to avoid any sort of contact as he slid comfortably back into a place on the ground. Here, he could keep giving Sterling more help while making sure Cadence didn't smack him with a hoof under the table. This little area just happened to be on the floor between their booth and the booth of a neighboring family, too engrossed in their meal to care about the compromising position Armor was in laying on the tiles.

Some more banter, under-the-table assistance, and some shared jokes later, a different waiter, a red unicorn with a deep green, slicked-back mane, hovered their final course of the night in front of Cadence's hungry stare, and Sterling's sick twist of the mouth.

"We are very sorry for the...inconvenience one of our waiters has caused you. He was supposed to be here to serve you himself, but decided to flee the scene for one reason or another. We will have a strict talk with him later about abandoning his customers. Enjoy your dessert!"

He bowed to the both of them and headed off to find the wayward servant. A little bit of anger was present in his demeanor.

"That looks delicious, Sterling! Don't you agree?"

Cadence's glee was met with trace amounts of distaste. "Yes...delicious..."

After they had dove into the chocolate marvel, feeding bites to each other like a couple in love would, the air in the restaurant seemed to get much less constricting as both Shining Armor and Sterling Spear realized that not only was the night coming to a conclusion, but that the date had gone better than anypony could've expected. Evidence of its success was noticeable in the way Cadence was fidgeting in the booth next to Sterling.

"I...had a wonderful time with you tonight, Sterling, the best night I think I've ever experienced with you on a date, in fact."

"I am glad you feel that way, Cadence," Sterling told her with both relief and triumph. "How could I not have a wonderful time with a mare as lovely as yourself?"

Sterling noticed that Cadence was turning beet red while she scooted closer to the stallion, holding his hoof with hers. He was surprised to say the least. The princess had never done something like this before, mostly because other dates they had been on ended with Sterling blowing his top at whoever had been the unfortunate soul to piss him off, and Cadence peering at everypony else, embarrassed that her coltfriend was such a hot-head. In light of this new development, he was beginning to worry as she only bridged the small gap between them more.

"Well?..." Cadence could feel herself getting flustered and tongue-tied as she tried to look into the face of her handsome stallion.

"Well what?..." Sterling could only give her that gobsmacked stare of confusion that would get him into trouble every once in a while.

"Don't you want to...you know...kiss me goodnight?..."

Both parties gulped heatedly, Cadence in expectation, and Sterling in abject fear of doing or saying something wrong at such an important point, where all of his hard work could be ruined in a nanosecond. Some tension rejoined the table as Sterling sat there, blank-faced. He definitely hoped Armor was around to give him some kind of sign of what he should do. Should he go for it, or would it be too inappropriate at this stage of the relationship? Sterling didn't know one lick about relationships. That's why Armor was his sturdy third wheel. Where was that jackass when he was needed?

Cadence took the silence Sterling emitted as an objection to her suggestion. She looked up into the pegasus' face apprehensively, scared of what she might see. Did he want to do this, or didn't he? It wasn't like it was rocket science! She had been steeling herself for a while now, preparing to ask him for this. It seemed like now, all of that time and energy spent could have been put to better uses, as Sterling was a solid rock in his seat, not even blinking or twitching.

"S...Sterling?..." she began, starting to feel bad for asking him. "What's wrong?..."

On the ground near the table, Armor wondered. Although he should've been helping the coffee-colored colt by giving him some kind of affirmation or green light, for the first time tonight, Armor could not make a move to do so. He didn't think about it until just now, that dates like these typically ended up with kisses. Though, admittedly, the unicorn was blind-sided by the fact that Cadence wasn't going to wait until they even left the restaurant before she got one.

Maybe...he should just go back on his word to Sterling. Maybe he should let the lieutenant fail miserably; let the stallion make her cry; let her slip through his hooves at the pivotal moment of truth. Then, when Princess Cadence is crushed by his apparent rejection, her meek, easygoing, white knight would be able to swoop in and rescue her from her sadness.

Armor knew he could make her happy with him as her special somepony, at least in some way. He didn't have the wealth of kings, or the glory of generals, but nopony in Equestria could mend a broken spirit and heart like he could. He had seen her hard, outer exterior, the one she showed the world, but he also perceived a side, not unlike the bird he nursed to health, that was gentle and fragile. He had to prod pretty deeply for it, but she was not without her own vulnerabilities, and to Armor, they were beautiful, more so than anything else he had ever seen.

The unicorn supposed that it was that vulnerable side that he identified with so much, seeing himself as the type of pony to have many shortcomings and to be very emotionally involved in everything he did, including his relationships with good friends. He was a tough nut to crack when it came to making real friends, but would become inseparable from those who were allowed into that tight, little circle. Cadence was one of them, and a wave of fear, terror even, bit through him at the thought of losing her love to Sterling. He simply couldn't bring himself to ruin his own only chances of making the princess see that HE was the one she should be in love with. HE was the one who would give her his mind to entertain her, his body to warm and fulfill her, and more importantly to him, his soul for eternity.

Then, he remembered what Sterling had told him just a few days ago:

"You don't understand, Armor! You don't understand how long I've pined for Cadence!"

Armor's brows tightly scrunched and he gritted his teeth. It was difficult to acknowledge that Sterling had been madly in love with the princess himself, for longer than he had been from what it sounded like. However, Armor surmised that those feelings were strong, true, and he felt like a monster for even playing with thoughts of sabotaging his fellow soldier. Friends and allies do not do those kinds of things to each other! Once again, he reprimanded himself harshly for letting his emotions overtake his reason. He willed himself to suck up the bittersweet fact that Sterling and Cadence were getting what they both surely wanted, but not without a few last words:

"I understand it more than you know..."

Armor took a deep breath, forcing his legs to function as he crawled under the table. He tapped one of the prone legs of the captain's son, getting him to slowly bend toward the cloth to hear Armor tell him, "...Kiss her, Sterling..."

The brown pegasus was beyond relieved, complying with Armor's words brusquely, putting his lips on Cadence's faster than she could take her next blink. The alicorn was taken aback as Sterling's catatonic state had been replaced by a quite enthusiastic kiss on the lips. She wanted to tease him about it, but found herself a little too preoccupied to do much more than reciprocate his action.

Cadence even started to take the initiative on him, snaking a hoof around his head, deepening their passionate display. She wasn't letting him go anytime soon. So as not to disturb anypony else at the other tables, they kept their hums and moans of lust to a minimum, but not enough for it to be unheard by the pony under them right now.

Armor's face became forlorn as he listened in. "Geez, you two, don't enjoy it TOO much..."

Well, with that, Armor felt like his job here was complete. Sterling had swept Cadence off of her hooves with a dinner date that was surprisingly civil, much more smooth for her than it had been in the past, and best of all, very romantic. There was no doubt in Armor's mind that his lieutenant and princess would be happy together, given that Sterling could repeat his success in the future.

With a defeated huff, Armor slid out from under the table, inching his way over to another booth, so that he could stand up after he was out of their line of sight. Unluckily for him, his present attire, combined with his sneaking ways, had earned a shrill shout from one of the old ladies at a booth not so far from the kissing couple. It seems that some old crone had looked down from her dinner onto the floor while Armor was slinking close to the bag around her waist.

"AAAAAAAGH! BURGLAR! BURGLAR! HE'S TRYING TO STEAL MY PURSE!"

The entire place went into an uproar as curious stares from patrons, waiters, cooks, Cadence, and Sterling alike zeroed in on the conspicuous unicorn squirming on the ground at her side. The masked Armor stood up quickly as an uncomfortable, accusing silence swept the grand room.

"Oh...uh...yes, that's right! It is I, the...uh...Purse Snatcher of Canterlot!"

Audible gasps went up in the air as Armor made a horrible attempt at looking evil, and probably embarrassed himself more than seemed fearsome.

"Oh, but you've foiled my plans, old lady! Your purse will be safe for another day! In the meantime..."

Armor darted at her plate for something small and innocent to steal. He grabbed at probably the stupidest thing he could given the situation.

"...I'm taking your garnish!" Armor held the sprig of parsley in front of the old mare tauntingly. "I am SO evil!" Armor took a whiff of the parsley as if to up-play its worth, but it ended up making him look like a stark, raving fool.

Of course, the restaurant staff was less than amused by the disruptive act to their business.

"Security!" As one of the waiters shouted, two burly unicorns with matching outfits came over and waited for their signal to attack. Armor froze at the sight of the two ponies, almost twice his size each.

"Arrest that stallion!"

Quivering with dread, Armor condescendingly retorted and waved his flank to them. "HA! You can't catch me, you big, stupid, savages!"

The dinner date ended with Armor running from security like his life depended on it. Luckily, he was quite a bit faster than his pursuers, and would successfully make his way back to the hotel without one pony finding out his true identity. Of course, that didn't make Sterling's opinion of him go up any higher than it had been before.

"Shining Armor, you are one of the most moronic unicorns I have ever met!" He would shout in his head, face-hoofing himself, as Cadence just sat by and took in the entire scene with wide-eyed fascination and completely unjustified fear.


	8. Chapter 8 Operation: Exposing Truth

A/N - Another two-parter type of deal going on here, since there's just too much to write on this. I'll be focusing mainly on Armor's good points more (which will become clearer in the next part), and Sterling's slip-ups and bad points along with it. With that, a conclusion to this story is coming later that will be...action-packed, to say the least.

My props to ultimateCCC for the title of this chapter "Operation: Exposing Truth", since I don't normally name them myself.

* * *

To say that Princess Cadence was disturbed by the sudden changes in both Sterling Spear's demeanor and behavior, from the night of their dinner date to the present day a week or so later, was an understatement. At first, she loved his new-found sense of attentiveness and the docile way he handled stressful issues, and maybe she was simply caught off-guard in the wonderful moments. Now though, she was suspicious that he was receiving outside help, and not just tips and pointers, but was being fed lines to say to her and stories to tell that were kind of unnatural for the gruff, stern pony.

As she paced around her room in the castle, all covered in her favorite color, pink, she realized that she may have never come to this conclusion if it weren't for one equally unsettling factor, Shining Armor's evasiveness over the past week. While Sterling only became more suave and debonair, Armor became more dodgy, hardly ever speaking to her directly when she visited him, and if he did talk at all, only about how great Sterling was and that she should ask him out again sometime. He wasn't bitter while going about it, per say, but there was some tone in his speech that put a rock in Cadence's stomach whenever she heard it.

Cadence thought that she and Armor were getting along quite nicely, and that he was starting to open up to her more the longer they conversed. Why did he not want to talk with her about anything anymore? Was it because she and Sterling were both an item, Shining Armor just now learned of it, and felt betrayed by her? He didn't seem to express near as much interest in her as she admittedly might have shown for him, so that didn't feel like it was his problem. He was also quick to put Sterling on a pedestal whenever she even uttered a syllable of his name. Cadence figured that soldiers tended to stick together when it came to things like this, but Armor's blatant over-enthusiasm was hardly normal for any occasion, even with that thought in mind.

In her youth, the young princess fantasized about finding a husband who was as mysterious as he was dashing. She wanted somepony who was intriguing, sometimes served as a guessing game. Now that she had met these two stallions, mystery had only proved to be as frustrating as Pony Hell.

"They're always trying to hide something from me..." the princess moaned as she sat down on her bed, tired of the incessant pacing. She didn't want to sound paranoid, but even as Sterling and Armor were terrible liars, and bad at concealing things, they still found a way to keep her in the dark about their true motives. Did they really love her, or didn't they? Did Sterling turn over a new leaf in less than a day, or was he scheming with another pony? Was Armor her friend, or did he not want to be anymore because of Sterling? Was he the culprit who was assisting the pegasus in wooing her? So many questions that would probably be left unanswered until she took matters into her own hooves.

Taking matters unto herself was just what she intended to do. Before she became busy in her own musings, Cadence had summoned her dear aunt to pick her brain about this conspicuous behavior. She hadn't met Sterling personally, that Cadence knew of, yet, but she remembered what Celestia said about her interview with Armor not so long ago, so maybe she'd have some insight on the unicorn at least.

She knew her aunt was busy, but Cadence still couldn't shake her mild impatience at how long the older mare was taking to arrive. It was inevitable that she would not be able to drop everything she was doing to console her most likely over-reacting niece, but the need for information was eating away at her. There just had to be some reason for all of this!

The light knocking on her pink doors didn't come until the alicorn's eyes started to droop in exhaustion, having given up on waiting. At the sound, Cadence perked up immediately and trotted over to greet her much awaited guest.

"Oh, Aunt Celestia, I thought you'd never get here!" Now that she had her supportive aunt in her midst, Cadence felt that she could unload a little.

Celestia just chuckled at her niece's zestful greeting. "I'm sorry for not coming sooner, my dear Cadence, but you know how it is, duty is always calling."

The white princess strode through the double doors and closed them behind her to get some privacy for the two family members. Cadence gestured over toward the bed for her aunt to sit and get comfortable, to which Celestia thanked her and indulged.

"Now then, my little niece, what is this I hear about needing my advice on something?"

The younger princess made herself comfortable on the bed only after making sure Celestia had a chance to do so. "Well, I've been having some...troubles lately with Sterling Spear and Shining Armor that I feel like I need to seek your counsel on. I probably wouldn't even have bothered you at all, and just spoke to them myself, if not for..."

Celestia's brow rose only slightly to show her concern. "If not for what, Cadence?"

The faltering princess thought for a moment about how she would approach the subject with her aunt. "...If not for the fact that both of them have been acting very...strange as of late."

"Acting strange how, dear?"

Cadence took a deep breath before she spilled what she had been thinking about to the attentive princess. "For one thing, have you noticed that Sterling Spear has been acting a whole lot...nicer to everypony when we're together, including me?"

Celestia instinctively raised a wing to her mouth, getting deep in concentration to remember such an instance. "Hmm...I have only talked to Sterling Spear a little bit, one on one, before. He did seem to be rather...short with his responses to some of my questions. I don't think I've actually seen both of you together very much, but I would probably be surprised if he were more congenial than usual too."

For the pink mare, "probably" was hardly enough to base a solid accusation on, but it was good to know she wasn't the only one who gathered that his new friendliness might be weird.

She took a shot at Armor instead, since maybe he had been more open to Celestia in the past. "I wouldn't be so uneasy about it if it weren't for the odd way Armor's been acting around me for about as long as Sterling has."

"You mean, Shining Armor too?" Celestia gave her a perplexed look.

Cadence sighed as she recounted the things he had said. "All I know is that he hasn't been as willing to talk to me lately, at least not unless it's about Sterling. I don't know why, but it feels like Armor's pawning me off on him..."

Now that Cadence had clued her in on what Armor was doing, she did specifically remember what the jittery unicorn had told her when she interviewed him. Celestia put a comforting hoof on her shoulder and gave her a pointed look. After what she was about to tell the young princess, she'd most likely need all of the comfort she could get.

"There was something that Shining Armor told me that you are not going to like, Cadence..."

Having noticed the regal pony was becoming more talkative, Cadence surmised that this would be a good clue into what was happening around her. She waited for the bombshell, her silent stare urging Celestia to continue with her thought.

"...When I last spoke to him, he immediately rejected my offer to become an official husband candidate for you..."

The sun princess' apologetic look was proof enough to Cadence that her own mouth was gaping like a fish caught in a hook. "W...well...I mean, I suppose he never truly expressed the greatest of interest in courtship..."

Rubbing her shoulder lightly for comfort, Celestia was pained to see the beginnings of tears threatening to spill from Cadence's eyes. Hopefully, her next insight would soften the blow a little bit.

"Oh, but Cadence, he did not specify that he was DISINTERESTED in you either!"

Now was the time to lift her spirits, even if the situation was fairly bleak. Cadence made a tiny sniff as she looked back to her aunt's face.

"Shining Armor told me that he did not want to become a suitor because he thinks he would be inadequate as one."

Cadence was confused. Were they talking about the same unicorn here?

"Why in Equestria would somepony as kind, loving, and, let me be frank, quite ruggedly handsome as Armor think for even one moment that he fell short in some way?"

Shifting her gaze around the room, Celestia tried to remember more detailed conversations of that day. "I think Mr. Armor was speaking in purely practical terms, my niece. Knowing that you were a princess, he must have thought that you expected greater...material things than a stallion on his salary could afford. He also mentioned something about being "spineless" and made allusions to being a chronic daydreamer-"

"But that's what I like about Armor!" Cadence interrupted the fellow princess. "He isn't obsessed with money or fame. He wants to help ponykind in any way he can, not just rule over it!"

Cadence started pacing again as she worked herself into a lather over the topic. "It would be nice to have a husband who could be financially stable, and have the fortitude to rule a principality, but that's not ALL I'm looking for here, Aunt Celestia. I want someone who's compassionate and well-read. Armor may not be a practical husband, but I'm sick of chasing and being chased by rock-headed jerks who only love their bits or the fact that I'm a princess, and not me as a pony!"

Her short burst of a tirade over with, Cadence slumped to the ground tiredly, looking up only long enough to catch the grin forming on Celestia's face.

"What's so amusing, auntie?"

"You must really fancy Mr. Armor, don't you, Cadence?"

The smaller alicorn's face turned a darker shade in embarrassment as she lifted herself from the floor. "Don't get me wrong. If Sterling really has changed for the better, he's getting pretty high up there too. Oh...who to choose, who to choose?" She wrung her hooves together in nervousness.

"Well, either way," Celestia began, standing back up to stretch her legs, "with what you've told me about Sterling's change in behavior as well as Shining Armor's, there's a good possibility that the two are meeting in secret...though I will leave that for you to discover. I wouldn't want to get too involved in relationships that are none of my concern."

Celestia moved closer to whisper to her niece. "You can always come to me for advice and...information though, if you need it." She gave Cadence a winking nod to show her support.

"Thanks, Aunt Celestia," Cadence threw her hooves around the mare's neck in an appreciative hug. The other princess just gave her a kind smile in return.

"Though..." the pink alicorn pulled back with a pensive frown on her face, "where exactly would I go to find out about that?"

Her relative's eyebrows scrunched in thought. That was a really good question, as there weren't any other ponies to ask who would probably know if they were fraternizing or not. She did, however, have one other idea that might bear some sort of fruit.

"Why don't you approach Mr. Armor and Mr. Spear about it yourself, Cadence?"

Cadence gawked at the white pony like she was asking her to take a long walk off of a short plank. "Auntie, even if they weren't in on some sort of plan together, I could offend them greatly by accusing them like that!"

Celestia rolled her eyes as her sweet, though naive, little niece completely misread what her idea was from the start. "No, my dear, I mean to catch them off guard, or to make them inadvertently slip on their words, you know, something covert. Sometimes, the most telling evidence can come from what they don't say, or what their body language suggests. You just need to look more closely at the two of them."

"Look closer?" Cadence gave an incredulous look. "How do you mean?"

Her aunt thoughtfully huffed as she fished for ideas. "When talking to them, casually mention the other stallion. Let them know you are onto their plot, without saying it to them outright. I think if they really are scheming together, the truth is bound to come out eventually."

"Okay," Cadence smiled, sort of understanding what Celestia was trying to say. "Thanks for helping me, Aunt Celestia, I'll go over to the barracks right away and see what I can get out of them."

The white princess made her way toward the doors to Cadence's chambers, as she could tell that her niece was satisfied with the advice, and she would be needed elsewhere very shortly.

"I am glad I could help, Cadence. Like I was saying before, feel free to come to me anytime if you need anything else. For now, I have to go back to the throne room and hold court proceedings."

"That's alright. Thanks again, auntie."

They bid each other a nice farewell, leaving Cadence in her rose-colored room to ponder what she would ask or say to the two stallions when she saw them. She decided to think and walk at the same time as she rearranged some pieces of furniture in her room, tidying it a little before she went on her excursion. Content with the appearance of her chambers, she slipped gracefully through her double doors and made her way out of the castle.

Her first destination was clear. She would visit with Shining Armor, because out of the two of them he was the easiest to tell if something was wrong or amiss. Sterling didn't show much emotion half of the time, so he would be second on her short list of ponies to meet with.

Within all of ten minutes, she was out on the trail toward the guard barracks when she crossed paths with the venerable Captain Broadlance. She could tell it was him by his cutie mark, a stainless steel jousting lance pointing at a forty-five degree angle toward his own head, the tip of the lance engulfed in a flash of bright, red light. Age had been unkind to the captain, as she found out that, being closer to him than she probably ever had, the ginger of his mane and tail was becoming a grey-streaked and faded memory.

"Well, good day to you, Captain Broadlance," she addressed him respectfully.

"Ah, Princess Cadence," Broadlance prostrated at the sight of the royal mare. "Is there anything I can do for you today?"

"No, no," the alicorn grimaced at the old pony's grunt of pain as he bowed. "Please, Captain, at ease. I don't want you to harm yourself on my account."

Broadlance did as she asked, standing up on all fours, but countered, "It is no trouble, Your Highness. What kind of stallion would I be if I didn't show the proper respect for the princess of Equestria?

At least now Cadence knew who all of the other ponies got this...annoying habit of debasing themselves for her from...

"You have done quite enough to prove your respect for the crown, my good captain. How have you been today?"

The veteran warrior gave her a face that spoke of confusion and, dare she say, suspicion.

"Actually, Your Highness, I just got done visiting with my son. Of all of the ponies in this land for him to associate with, it surprised me when I noticed that Private Shining Armor was with him."

That was very interesting to the pink princess. So, the two WERE doing something together...

She feigned ignorance at his admission to see if she could prod anything else out of the captain. "Is there something odd about Sterling and Shining Armor being together?"

Broadlance's eyes shifted warily, unsure of whether or not to divulge this kind of information to her. Not only was she dating Sterling, but Cadence had the authority to counsel soldiers who weren't getting along, being at a technical military rank higher than him even. The captain didn't like his son, but he was still family, and Broadlance had been taught throughout his life that family sticks together, no matter what. Even if said family member is a megalomaniac with aggressive tendencies.

He sighed as he told tell her a probably watered-down version of their relationship that he hoped wouldn't set off any alarms. "Let's just say that...Sterling and Armor used to not get along with each other very well."

"Oh, I see..." That was something Cadence had definitely NOT heard from anypony. She pressed into him further. "So these two have only recently become friends then?"

"Well," -he scratched his chin with a hoof- "I'm not exactly sure WHAT they are now. All I could tell is that Armor had a fore-hoof around Sterling's neck and was whispering something in his ear. Then, I came over and greeted the two, which must have interrupted something very important because they got all nervous like I had heard something I shouldn't have."

"Very, very fascinating," the princess soaked in every detail she could, immersed in detective mode.

"Yes, it certainly is," the captain had a disheveled look on his face now. "They've gone from being fairly cold to...a little too close...if you ask me," his voice was low and cautious. "Not that I'm against that kind of relationship, mind you!" He waved his hooves to prove his point. He considered himself very open-minded to many different...lifestyles, and if his son and Armor were THOSE kinds of stallions, he wouldn't object to it. Though, he'd kick Sterling's flank for stringing along a lovely lady like the princess.

Cadence had obviously missed the insinuations Broadlance was making as her brows furrowed in question. "What kind of relationship are you talking about, Captain?"

His face turned a bright shade of red and he coughed loudly. "Um...this isn't the first time I've seen those two together like that, admittedly. There was another time, late at night about two days ago. I was just getting back to my own home from the academy, and I have to cross the barracks to get there. So, there I was, walking along, until I spotted Sterling over near the door to Armor's quarters. I was about to shout to get his attention, but I stopped when I saw him knock on his door. It looked like Sterling didn't want to be noticed, as he was glancing around himself quickly.

"As you can guess, Armor opened the door and stepped out to meet with him. He made a similar gesture to what I just witnessed a few minutes ago, and wrapped a hoof around Sterling's neck, getting close to his ear and telling him something that I couldn't hear from all the way over on the other side of the building. Sterling just nodded at whatever was said and Armor led him into his dorm, never taking his foreleg off of him. I didn't see or hear anything else after the door was shut.

"It was secretive, very chummy, and gave me a weird feeling," Broadlance took another deep breath to get up the courage to make his next statement. "I'm sorry I have to say this, but, Princess Cadence, I think Sterling and Armor are possibly in a...how do I put this...same-sex romantic relationship..."

From what Broadlance could acquire, her jaw had hit the trail floor, that much could be seen. Her pupils had dilated into little beads, he could check that off of the list of things a pony did while going into shock as well. Her tri-toned mane took on a bit of that static fraying effect that one's mane would when they were going bonkers. Understandably, she seemed...upset.

"Princess Cadence?" The captain asked with some trepidation, not wanting to make the blow worse for her.

She couldn't believe the captain could even suggest something like that! Sterling Spear was as hot-blooded of a stallion as any she had ever met before, and by his appearance was straighter than a razor blade. Well, he did show an uncanny disinterest for mares in general, and until a week ago, that included her too. He also showed much more enthusiasm for pursuits in which he would be situated around a bunch of stallions. Coincidence, or intentional? She didn't want to think about that, but the more she did...

Surely Armor wasn't attracted to members of the same gender! Of course not! He was just...awkward around mares, didn't want to get too close to them, seemed...repulsed by them... Now that she thought about it, she was Armor's friend...but he showed no interest in her romantically, and even asked her advice on furnishing and decorating his dorm... Oh Celestia, maybe there was something Broadlance had picked up on that she didn't...

No! She was NOT going to believe one word of it until she found out for herself! They'd have to be literally smooching right in front of her before she'd ever believe something like that!

"Oh, Captain," Cadence refocused on the soldier and giggled dismissively. "I'm sure there has been a misunderstanding here. Sterling and I are dating, and Armor must have SOME filly that he is attracted to but too shy to say it." She was, of course, leaving out the part where she hoped that filly was her.

A bead of sweat dribbled down the captain's forehead as he decided to take his way out and run with it. "...Those are good points, Princess Cadence. Maybe I read too much into things. I guess I just wasn't thinking straight." He smiled and, with a hoof on the back of his head, chuckled in a morose fashion.

"Do not worry, my good stallion, it might have seemed odd at the time. I think nopony would blame you if they had witnessed the same," she laughed along with him.

Cadence watched the black eyes of the captain shine with relief. Hopefully it was because he was glad to hear somepony talk him out of his thoughts of his son being gay, and not because he wanted to stay her wrath and not press the dilemma.

"I probably ought'a get on my way now," Broadlance was eager to leave as quickly as he could to avoid any further complications. "Got an important meeting at the palace in about twenty minutes, and I should get there a little early to prepare for it. Please forgive my senility. My mind isn't what it used to be, and sometimes I misread things."

"That is quite alright, Captain," Cadence felt that she had gotten everything out of the old timer that she could, so she let him get going. "I bet it was just a long night at the academy. It was good conversing with you again."

The two ponies waved each other off, Broadlance bowing a little more urgently than usual, and as Cadence watched him trot down the road, she mused about what he had just told her.

"There's no way those two are...involved with each other," she threw the very thought aside. It was ridiculous. It just had to be bad perception on the part of the captain! She would have to have a good talk with the both of them and clear all of this up.

A mixture of anxiety and determination quickened the pace of her hoof-steps, almost galloping toward the barracks when she thought that nopony was around to see her frantically run.

Another not-so-long while passed before she made her way to the grounds that the motel-like buildings sat upon, and the room of Shining Armor was within a short distance. Now she would get some explanations as to what in Celestia's name was going on here.

Before she could take ten steps in that direction, however, an unfamiliar, chartreuse earth pony with dark brown eyes and a deep magenta mane and tail stopped her in her tracks.

"Princess Cadence? Your Highness honors us with her presence!" He appropriately genuflected, earning an uneasy grin from the princess with his polite, yet archaic, greeting.

"Please, good sir, I am only here on official business and do not wish to draw attention to myself." Such was the life of royalty, unfortunately.

He must have been another soldier judging by his battle-ready physique, Cadence had surmised. He daftly scratched his scalp with a hoof at the mention of 'official business'. "If I may, what business would you happen to be in the middle of, fair Princess?"

"Ah," Cadence began, immediately forgetting that she didn't have an excuse lined up. She decided to be as close to the point as possible. "I have been asked to evaluate a Private Shining Armor to determine his training progress since he left the academy."

She didn't like the sudden shoulder tense the young stallion made.

"With all due respect, Princess, I wouldn't bother Shining Armor at the moment. He's in there with Lieutenant Sterling Spear, and it looks like there's something serious going on in that room."

Could he have been any more vague?

"What is going on in there that even royalty is disallowed to enter his quarters?" Although she had told herself she wouldn't entertain any other thoughts of the private and lieutenant being together in an intimate way, this day only proved that possibility more and more.

The yellow-green earth pony stole a look toward the barracks before addressing Cadence's question. "Who knows, but the lieutenant seemed awfully annoyed with everypony when they crowded around him and Armor just a minute or so ago. You see, Armor and the lieutenant used to not be the best of buddies, if you know what I mean, so it was weird to see them hanging out with one another. In such a cozy community as we have here, word gets around very quickly, and some ponies claimed they've seen those two getting very...touchy-feely with each other. Well, we wanted to know what all of the fuss was about, so we were about to ask them ourselves. That's when the lieutenant screamed to everyone: 'Back off, cretins! This is between me and Armor! If I catch anypony trying to spy on us, I'll cut each and every one of your throats!'"

Typical Sterling... Cadence wasn't surprised by that one bit. What WAS making her fur crawl was the fact that all of the pieces of this puzzle were falling into place. Armor and Sterling's disinterest in her, the frequency of which they've been spotted together lately, and the secretive embarrassment they were exhibiting were all signs that pointed to the unthinkable.

"Thank you for the wealth of information, loyal subject. I suppose I will rearrange to visit with the private another time." She lied through her teeth. She was getting to the bottom of this RIGHT NOW.

"Anything for the princess of Equestria, my lady," the slightly eccentric pony bowed before taking his leave.

Cadence waited until he, and everypony else, was well away from that side of the barracks before she angrily huffed, practically tromping over to Armor's door, intent on chewing one or both of their ears off with the mega rant she had stored up for just a similar occasion. She reeled her fore-hoof back when she stepped in front of the portal, about to give the door a good whack.

The muffled voices and noises from inside the room kept her from following through. Curiosity took over and drove her to instead lean against the door expectantly. She strained her ears, pushing them against it, but she couldn't quite hear what they were saying to each other. No problem, being an alicorn, she could cast a convenient spell to make the garbled voices clearer, though not perfectly so, especially if they were speaking softly. Magic wasn't ALWAYS a fail-safe remedy for life's problems, though it helped from time to time.

After a minute of charging up her energy, channeling it into the door and her ears, she picked up on Armor's voice first, and with Cadence's paranoia turned up at full blast, she took in their exchange with a bit of a dirty mind.

"My, my, Sterling," Armor was indeed tweaking his voice to a very low level, "even with all of the experience you have in dating, you're still so awkward about this."

Sterling replied in the same quiet way with a brisk snarl in his tone. "Who asked you? It's been a long time, alright?"

"Relax, Sterling," Armor chuckled. It was almost as if he was instructing the pegasus to do so. "Just let me go slip into the get-up, and then the fun can really begin."

What get-up? What kind of sick, perverted things were those two planning to do today anyway?

"Ugh," Sterling sounded mortified, "this is so embarrassing, Armor! I can't believe I'm about to do this with you! Though...I suppose it'll make me more comfortable...maybe..."

Cadence mumbled to herself desperately. "This isn't happening! Please, tell me this isn't happening!"

She waited with rapt attention as a few minutes passed in silence. Sterling was most likely waiting for the unicorn to get into...whatever the heck it was he was putting on.

The silence was finally broken by a closet door opening, hoof-falls sounding on the wooden floorboards. When Armor spoke next, Cadence was convinced that something very tawdry was transpiring on the other side.

"Well, hello there, Sterling." The princess' face turned up in horrified distaste as Armor's slightly deep, even voice was replaced by a freakishly feminine lisp, trying to sound sultry to his, now affirmed, coltfriend. "What's a dashing, young stallion like you doing in my room, of all places?"

Sterling sounded like he was groaning. "Sweet Celestia, Armor, if Princess Cadence knew we we're doing this, she'd have both of our heads for sure."

"I think she would too." At that, Armor laughed as loud as he dared, to which Sterling only cackled once or twice to join in on the joke at her expense.

Cadence was furious. How dare those two have an affair behind her back and then laugh at the trouble they would cause should word of it reach her! The princess had heard quite enough of this injustice, powering down the spell and leaving herself deaf to anything else they might say. That was all the proof she needed anyway. When she exposed them for the...lovers they were, she would have vengeance on the both of them!

She tried to repress the few stray tears that had escaped down her face, clenching her teeth like a vice. She couldn't rip them apart just yet. They would deny having any affair with each other, and until she could pry it out of them, she wouldn't be able to punish them for it. Instead, she'd play it straight, biding her time until she caught them in the act. Hopefully, that time would be right now, as she knocked on the door, eliciting resounding thuds in her rage.

* * *

MEANWHILE, INSIDE ARMOR'S QUARTERS AFTER CADENCE QUIT LISTENING IN

"Armor...you look absolutely ridiculous," Sterling eyed the unicorn up and down.

The outfit Armor had on truly was terrible. He had attached a pair of fake, pink wings with a purple tint to his body where they would approximately have been on a pegasus. The ghastly dresser was also adorned in a gold crown, a gold necklace, and matching golden slippers, all fit for a princess. Well, Princess Cadence, more specifically...

"I don't know, Sterling," Armor admired his posterior, having been boosted up by the slippers made for a mare. "I think I could pull this look off pretty well."

Sterling snorted with a snide grin on his face. "Tch, maybe if you lost a hundred pounds..."

Armor pouted in Sterling's direction comically, using his 'sexy' mare voice again. "Are you calling your princess FAT, Sterling?"

"Armor, you have a really horrendous excuse for a mare voice-"

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Both stallions gasped sharply as they heard the harsh knocks on Armor's door.

"Oh no, I've gotta get out of this stuff!" Armor panicked, fumbling back into the closet as fast as he could.

"Drat! I told those heathens to get lo-"

Just as Sterling was about to finish his sentence, he immediately clammed up as the voice of none other than the princess tore through the door. "Shining Armor, Sterling Spear, I know you two are in there!"

"Oh no," Sterling thought. "How did she find out that Armor and I were collaborating?"

"Quick, Sterling!" Armor undressed as he spoke through the closet door. "Hide under my art desk and I'll try to get her out of here!"

Sterling all but dived under the desk as they heard the door open. Looks like the princess didn't want to wait for Armor to let her in after all.

* * *

Cadence slipped into the semi-spacious dorm, covered in a wide array of plant life, but no Armor or Sterling to be seen.

"Hello, anypony here? Come on out!"

A muffled voice came from the closet. It seemed to be Shining Armor. "Oh, hi Cadence! Just one moment, if you please. I just got back from a party and I need to get out of my suit."

"Okay, hurry it up in there, please. We have some things to talk about." Cadence's tone was quite annoyed. Her eyes scoured the dwelling for any sign of Sterling. That philanderer just had to be around here someplace!

Within moments, Armor rocketed out of his closet and shut the door behind him, giving Cadence a toothy grin. "So, uh...what was it that you...wanted to talk about, Cadence, heh heh?"

The royal mare made a scrutinizing look in his direction. Armor's guilt, rolling off of him in waves, was palpable, and it made Cadence livid to know that he was still reaching for pathetic attempts to hide it.

"Oh, nothing," she turned toward his old, ratty couch with an unappealing, green flannel design coldly. "I was just informed that Sterling Spear had been in the area, and thought I might meet up with him today. Imagine my surprise when I found out that he has been...hanging out with you lately. You must think pretty highly of him, wanting me to go out with him more, and now THIS."

Armor's lips scrunched in nervousness. "Who, ME? Cadence, I think those guys have been feeding you some misinformation. Of course Sterling and I haven't been hanging out."

"...and why not?" Cadence faced Armor with a raised brow, literally grilling him with her glare. "Don't you regard him as a friend, Armor?"

She knew something was going on, alright. Armor's forehead started to sweat. "Well, um...yes...I do-"

"Then why are you so keen on denying that you've been seeing each other?"

Armor's lip started to quiver while he passed a foreleg over his head. "I...uh..." The pained, wobbly smile was incriminating enough for Cadence. Just as she had surmised, Armor wasn't a very good liar. The only thing she needed to do now was scope out the captain's son.

"I know he's in here, Armor!" Her features took on a darker shade as she whipped around, frantically trying to locate that cheating pegasus. She ran over and checked under and around the couch, but there was no Sterling to be seen.

The unicorn knew he couldn't do anything but let her turn the quarters over in her rampage, or else he'd risk seeming even more guilty by making her stop. The smile had degraded into worried fear, hoping that Sterling would be able to escape out from under the art desk when the time came for her to check under it.

Playing his own part, he was as nonchalant as he could be. "I don't know what you're looking for, Cadence, but I don't think you're going to find Sterling, if that's who it is."

"Oh, really?" Cadence turned and grinned at him evilly. "Then how about...behind the refrigerator!"

Nothing...

"Okay then..." she pouted in concentration. "Maybe...behind the Pony David statue!"

Nothing...though the statue itself, with its suggestive pose and rippling male physique just made her more suspicious of Armor's...tastes.

"EEEERRRRGH!" She stamped a hoof in near-defeat, until she saw something shift from under the art desk.

"A HA! Sorry, Sterling, but I've got you now!"

Armor gasped inaudibly, terrified at the thought of Cadence finding him.

Cadence lifted the cloth that was covering the bottom of the art desk triumphantly. "Nopony makes a fool out of Princess Mi Amore-"

Nothing...

"...Cadenza..." Closing her eyes and sucking a breath through her teeth, she admitted her defeat at the hooves of the two "friends" who were willfully betraying her.

Little did she know, Sterling had jumped from under the desk over to the same, nearby couch that she had already inspected with thorough precision, guaranteeing his safety. He was certainly a fast wit, if nothing else.

"As you can see," Armor masked his abject relief, "I have not been hiding anypony from you, Cadence." He shuffled over to her, still down near the art desk with a scowl on her pretty face, and put a hoof on her shoulder as a hopefully comforting gesture. "You should probably get some rest at home. You seem a little...tense right now. Relax, and enjoy the rest of the day while the day's still young. That's what I always do."

Cadence, while hardly in the mood to cater to anything Armor said right now, begrudgingly lifted herself off of the hard-wood floor, making her way over to the door.

"I look forward to seeing you again. Maybe tomorrow?" Armor tried not to sound too happy at the turn of events.

"Yeah...tomorrow..." Cadence didn't even look him in the eyes. She felt like she had been deceived, tricked, and worst of all, embarrassed that the stallions she had been in love with all of this time just HAD to be gay. She'd never hear the end of this once word got out about Sterling's homoerotic love affair! Ponies would be raving about it for months, if not the rest of her life!

"Bye bye, Cadence, and I hope you get better soon," Armor suspiciously slid the door shut with a speed unbecoming of him.

Alone again on the front steps to Armor's room, tears of humiliation crept along Cadence's cheeks. She wiped them away with a foreleg harshly, a look of fury replacing them.

"I'll expose the both of you for this if it's the last thing I do..."


End file.
